European shares are little changed after Asia finishes higher amid hopes
for US-Iran talks
[April 15, 2026] By
YURI KAGEYAMA
TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly rose in Wednesday trading, echoing the
rally on Wall Street that came as oil prices eased on hopes the United
States and Iran may try again on talks to end their war. Benchmarks in
Europe were little changed in early trading.
France's CAC 40 dipped 0.7% in early trading to 8,268.60, while the
German DAX was up less than 0.1% at 24,046.01. Britain's FTSE 100 inched
up less than 0.1% to 10,611.74. U.S. shares were set to trade in a
narrow range, with Dow futures slipping nearly 0.1% to 48,727.00. S&P
500 futures inched up less than 0.1% to 7,007.25.
In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 0.4% to finish at 58,134.24.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was little changed, inching up less than 0.1% to
8,978.70. South Korea's Kospi jumped 2.1% to 6,091.39. Hong Kong's Hang
Seng edged up 0.3% to 25,947.32, while the Shanghai Composite added less
than 0.1% to 4,027.21.
Benchmark U.S. crude fell 33 cents to $90.95 a barrel. Brent crude added
24 cents to $94.99. While that’s still above its roughly $70 price from
before the war began in late February, it’s well below the peak level of
$119.
Lower oil prices help bring down costs for all kinds of businesses. But
some analysts noted the war was still ongoing, warning that the optimism
may be unfounded.
“The counterintuitive decline in crude appears driven by growing hopes
that a second round of peace talks between Washington and Tehran could
soon materialize, after the first attempt fizzled out. Traders are
clearly choosing to price in the possibility of de-escalation rather
than the immediate reality of restricted flows,” said Tim Waterer, chief
market analyst at KCM Trade.
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Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea
Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top center, and the foreign
exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, top center
left, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank
headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (AP
Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
 Hopes are rising for renewed talks
between the U.S. and Iran after President Donald Trump said Tuesday
that a second round of talks could happen “over the next two days.”
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said it’s “highly probable”
that talks will restart.
Asian nations depend on access to the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow
waterway that’s the main avenue for crude oil produced in the
Persian Gulf area to reach customers worldwide. Blockages there have
kept oil off the global market, which has in turn driven up its
price.
Global inflation this year looks set to accelerate to 4.4% from 4.1%
in 2025, according to the International Monetary Fund, which had
earlier thought inflation would slow to 3.8%. The IMF on Tuesday
also downgraded its forecast for global economic growth to 3.1% this
year from the 3.3% it had forecast in January.
In currency trading, the U.S. dollar edged down to 158.76 Japanese
yen from 158.79 yen. The euro cost $1.1791, down from $1.1797.
___
AP Business Writer Stan Choe in New York contributed to this report.
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