Asia-Pacific markets opened mixed as investors remained cautious despite a three-week extension of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, underscoring lingering geopolitical uncertainty.
The Nikkei 225 recovered 575.95 points, or 1%, to close Friday and the week at 59,716.18, after core inflation in Japan accelerated for the first time in five months, rising to 1.8% in March, with the Iran war fueling energy worries.
Government data showed the inflation figure — which strips out prices of fresh food — was in line with the 1.8% expected by economists polled by Reuters, higher than the 1.6% seen in February.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng climbed 62.87 points, or 0.2%, to 25,978.07.
Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend their ceasefire by three weeks following a meeting in the White House with top U.S. officials, President Donald Trump said Thursday.
The temporary truce, originally set to expire after 10 days, will now provide additional time for diplomatic efforts, with Washington also pledging to work with Lebanon to strengthen its defenses against Hezbollah.
International benchmark Brent crude climbed 0.82% to $105.93 per barrel in Friday trading, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures advanced 0.51% to $96.34 per barrel
In other markets
The CSI 300 index in Shanghai shed 16.96 points, or 0.4%, to 4,769.37.
In Taiwan, the Taiex ballooned 1,218.25 points, or 3.2%, to 38,932.40
South Korea’s Kospi eked backward 0.18 points to 6,475.63
In Singapore, the Straits Times Index subtracted 21.25 points, or 0.4%, to 4,922.86
In Australia, the AZX 200 erased 6.89 points, or 0.1%, to 8,786.52.
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 skidded 9.99 points, or 0.1%, to 12,874.94.
