Hong Kong
Asian equities rallied and safe-haven assets including gold retreated Thursday as investors breathed a sigh of relief that tensions between the US and Iran were easing. Traders rushed back into regional markets, tracking a positive lead from Wall Street, after the two sides dialled down their rhetoric following days of heightened tensions caused by the US assassination of Iran’s top general last week. Iran on Wednesday launched missile attacks on US targets in Iraq but there were no casualties and the strikes appeared intended to make a statement rather than kill. Tehran later said it had “concluded” the attacks for now, while Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that the country does “not seek escalation or war”. Donald Trump announced that “Iran appears to be standing down, which is a good thing for all parties concerned and a very good thing for the world”.—AFP
