Asian markets settle lower on Thursday
South Korean shares dropped after data showed South Korea's consumer prices rose 2.2% in March
Asian markets settled lower on Thursday as hopes for a potential end to the Middle East conflict faded following US President Donald Trump’s prime-time address where the President discussed ongoing military actions in Iran. Trump stated that US military strategic goals in Iran were nearing completion, and threatened to hit Iran extremely hard over the next two to three weeks without giving details as to when the conflict would end. South Korean shares dropped after data showed South Korea's consumer prices rose 2.2% in March, exceeded the Bank of Korea's 2% target. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung urged parliament to promptly pass a 26.2 trillion won ($17.3 billion) supplementary budget to shore up the economy during the worst energy security threat caused by the Middle East crisis. Japanese shares declined despite Wall Street’s gains overnight.
| Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
| Shanghai Composite | 3,919.29 | -29.26 | -0.75 |
| Hang Seng | 25,116.53 | -177.50 | -0.70 |
| Jakarta Composite | 7,026.78 | -157.66 | -2.24 |
| KLSE Composite | 1,698.30 | -10.60 | -0.62 |
| Nikkei 225 | 52,463.27 | -1,276.41 | -2.38 |
| Straits Times | 4,947.50 | -28.33 | -0.57 |
| KOSPI Composite | 5,234.05 | -244.65 | -4.67 |
| Taiwan Weighted | 32,572.43 | -602.39 | -1.85 |
