S&P 500 — US Large Cap Index
FTSE 100 — UK Blue Chips
Euro Stoxx 50 — Eurozone Leaders
DAX 40 — German Equities
CAC 40 — French Market Index
Nikkei 225 — Japan Benchmark
Hang Seng — Hong Kong Index
Shanghai Composite — China Mainland
ASX 200 — Australian Market
TSX Composite — Canada Index
Nifty 50 — India Large Cap
STI Index — Singapore Market
KOSPI — South Korea Index
Bovespa — Brazil Equities
JSE Top 40 — South Africa Index
IPC Index — Mexico MarketThe South Korean won depreciated past 1,520 per dollar, its lowest since March 2009, as hopes for a quick resolution to the Iran war faded, weighing on risk sentiment. In a rare prime-time speech, President Donald Trump gave no clear timeline for ending the Middle East conflict, noting that the US had nearly met its strategic goals in Iran but warning that military operations could intensify over the next two to three weeks.
The statement also lifted the US dollar, adding pressure on currencies. Meanwhile, South Korea’s inflation rose to 2.2% in March, above the central bank’s 2% target, highlighting mounting inflationary pressures driven by rising energy costs from the Iran conflict. Earlier this week, Shin Hyun-song, nominee to lead the Bank of Korea, said the central bank should maintain flexible monetary policy to manage these risks but downplayed concerns over the won, noting that market liquidity remains solid.
