Asian markets end mixed on Friday
Chinese shares gained after data showed a 15.2% year-on-year jump in industrial profits for the January-February period
Asian markets ended mixed on Friday amid uncertainty around the US-Iran negotiations to potentially end the West Asia conflict. US President Donald Trump has delayed planned strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, extending his deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to April 6, while claiming negotiations are ‘going very well’. However, reports suggest Iran didn't request this extension, challenging Trump's statement and adding fresh worries to the ongoing West Asia conflict. Japanese shares declined tracking steep declines on Wall Street overnight. Meanwhile, Chinese shares gained after data showed a 15.2% year-on-year jump in industrial profits for the January-February period.
| Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
| Shanghai Composite | 3,913.72 | 24.64 | 0.63 |
| Hang Seng | 24,951.88 | 95.45 | 0.38 |
| Jakarta Composite | 7,097.06 | -67.03 | -0.94 |
| KLSE Composite | 1,712.65 | 1.76 | 0.10 |
| Nikkei 225 | 53,373.07 | -230.58 | -0.43 |
| Straits Times | 4,898.18 | 10.42 | 0.21 |
| KOSPI Composite | 5,438.87 | -21.59 | -0.40 |
| Taiwan Weighted | 33,112.59 | -225.03 | -0.68 |
