Asian shares gain, oil rises on missile strike reports

Asian shares edged higher, tracking Wall Street gains overnight. The yen was close to the 160-per-dollar level.

Shares gained in Japan and Australia, while South Korean markets were shut for a holiday. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index increased 0.2%.

On Tuesday, the S&P 500 Index closed at an all-time high after notching its longest winning streak since May as a gauge of chipmakers surged nearly 6%.

A sense of caution came as Brent crude rose 0.8% to $96.75 a barrel, amid reports of missile strikes. US forces defeated multiple Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, and conducted self-defense strikes on Qeshm Island in response to attempted attacks by Iran across the Middle East on June 2, according to a statement from the US Central Command.

The dollar also strengthened against all its Group-of-10 peers. Bitcoin slid to around $66,700.

During the US session, Treasuries retreated from near their best levels of the past month as the first of three labor-market reports this week backed wagers that the Federal Reserve’s next move will be to raise interest rates.

Investors piling into AI-linked stocks have propelled global equities to record highs, with hopes for a deal to end the war that has rattled markets worldwide providing an additional boost. Traders have looked past concerns about elevated valuations, betting that strong earnings growth and easing geopolitical tensions will continue to support risk assets.

Focus in Asia is on the yen as traders awaited Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda’s planned speech for clues on the outlook for interest rates. Yen traders face a heightened risk of intervention over the next two weeks after Japan’s currency defied historic attempts to prop it up.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump remained optimistic the US can reach an interim peace deal soon. He disputed reports in Iranian state media that said talks with Washington had been suspended over the fighting in Lebanon, saying the two sides have been “continuously” having conversations, including “today.”

Officials in Tehran are discussing their “final text” to send to the US, Iran’s Mehr news agency reported. The primary focus for the oil market remains the Strait of Hormuz, which handled about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows before the war began — with visible commercial traffic through the waterway remaining limited.

Even as businesses navigated rising energy costs sparked by the Iran war, US job openings jumped in April to the highest level in almost two years and layoffs fell, adding to signs the labor market remained resilient.

With inputs from Bloomberg