Asian stocks up, oil market cautious

Weather - Sydney 10°C

Asian stocks up, oil market cautious

ECONOMY 18.02.2026

Asian stocks up, oil market cautious / Photo: © AFP

Asian stocks rose Wednesday, while the oil market was cautious after prices dropped in the wake of Tehran's upbeat response during talks with US officials on Iran's nuclear programme.

Change text size:

Tokyo's Nikkei was up 1.2 percent in the morning session after the US announced a first tranche of investments by Japan out of a colossal $550 billion promised by Tokyo in its trade deal with President Donald Trump.

But the holiday period meant that trading floors were shut in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul and Taipei. Sydney was marginally up.

West Texas Intermediate was up 0.1 percent at $62.38 per barrel, while Brent also rose 0.1 percent to $67.49.

Oil prices had dropped Tuesday as Iran appeared upbeat after talks with US officials.

That followed an earlier rise when Trump ramped up threats towards Iran, a large crude producer, but Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said "a new window of opportunity has opened".

"We are hopeful that negotiation will lead to a sustainable and negotiated solution," he said, though he added that "Iran remains fully prepared to defend itself against any threat or act of aggression".

The announcement on the first round of investments by Japan detailed commitments of $36 billion for three infrastructure projects and came as the country comes under pressure to deliver on its pledges made in 2025 in return for lower US trade tariffs.

"Investors are likely to focus on Japanese companies tied to gas-fired power generation, crude oil exports, and synthetic diamonds," sectors targeted by these initial US investments, noted analysts at Tokai Tokyo Intelligence.

Traders are also keeping an eye on artificial intelligence this week, as tech CEOs and global leaders rub shoulders at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.

Touted as the biggest edition yet, the five-day summit aims to declare a "shared roadmap for global AI governance and collaboration".

While frenzied demand for generative AI has turbocharged profits for many tech companies, anxiety is growing over the risks that it poses to society and the environment.

- Key figures at around 0230 GMT -

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.2 percent at 57,253.46

Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: closed for holiday

Shanghai - Composite: closed for holiday

Dollar/yen: UP at 153.56 yen from 153.29 yen on Monday

Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1845 from $1.1854

Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3556 from $1.3568

Euro/pound: UP at 87.38 from 87.37 pence

West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.1 percent at $62.38 per barrel

Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.1 percent at $67.49 per barrel

New York - Dow: UP 0.1 percent at 49,533.19 points (close)

London - FTSE 100: UP 0.8 percent at at 10,556.17 (close)

R.T.Gilbert--TNT

Featured

Carney touts Canada 'pivot' away from US as tariffs rise

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday said reducing economic ties with the United States would come at a cost but the long-term benefits were clear, as retaliatory tariffs on US products took effect.

The "Everlasting Battery" Inside Your Joints:UConn Professor's Self-Powered Healing Material just Got Acquired

A material that turns your own movement into medicine has just landed a corporate home. PetVivo Holdings (OTCQX: PETV), a veterinary biotech and biomedical device company focused on treating osteoarthritis in dogs and horses, has acquired PiezoBioMembrane (PBM) — a startup built around a biodegradable implant that generates electricity from the everyday force of a joint in motion, and uses that charge to help regrow cartilage from the inside out. The material is the invention of Thanh Nguyen, a professor of mechanical engineering in UConn's College of Engineering, who founded PBM in 2021 to advance new implementation methods for his work with piezoelectric materials — substances that convert mechanical force into electrical energy. These materials are typically ceramics: hard, brittle, and poorly suited for medical use. But Nguyen's lab developed new forms that are so , flexible, and biodegradable, breaking down naturally within the body over time. wound healing, The materials have already shown strong potential across a range of medical applications, including tissue regeneration, implanted force sensors, and targeted drug delivery in tumor treatment. How It Works biodegradable ultrasound for In the case of arthritis, Nguyen explains, the piezoelectric materials function as an off-the-shelf product that can be implanted or injected directly into the ailing joint — with no drugs, chemicals, or cells required. The everyday force exerted on the joint generates a small electrical charge, which helps regrow healthy cartilage, mimicking the body's natural use of electricity to regenerate tissue. "The body can be electrically stimulated to regrow," Nguyen says. PBM's materials "act like a battery — an everlasting battery that works whenever there is a force applied, and vanishes safely inside the body over time." PetVivo's Vision for the Acquisition PetVivo Holdings CEO John Lai expressed enthusiasm for the merger's potential to improve the lives of companion animals globally. "PBM has developed a compelling functional biomaterials platform with the potential to support the development of multiple medical device and therapeutic product lines across both human and animal health markets," Lai said in a press release. "By combining PBM's scientific innovation with PetVivo's product development capabilities, commercialization experience, regulatory expertise, and public company infrastructure, we believe we can accelerate theadvancement of technologies that may serve as the foundation for numerous future products and strategic opportunities." For Nguyen, the deal is a chance to scale technology that could eventually benefit both animals and people. "PetVivo is an animal health company, but they do have a big passion: pushing the technology towards clinical trials for human use," Nguyen says. "That aligned perfectly with my passion for developing technology that has an impact on human life. That is why I am excited about this merger, which facilitates my passion." A Track Record of Innovation Nguyen's research sits at the intersection of medicine, micro/nanotechnology, and biomaterials. His inventions have earned him publications in prominent scientific journals and media coverage from outlets including NPR. Nguyen founded PBM during the COVID-19 pandemic, a er realizing the material he had developed could be used to create an especially effective, biodegradable face mask — one where the mechanical force of breathing generated an electrical charge that provided an extra layer of protection against viruses. PBM is not Nguyen's only venture in the acquisition pipeline. His other startup, Single-Time Microneedles (STM), is also currently undergoing an acquisition process. STM has pioneered stable, efficient vaccine delivery technology in the form of an adhesive patch. shelfNguyen's focus on biodegradable materials has translated into a remarkably diverse range of medical applications. He has received five R01 grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) supporting research in cartilage regeneration, bone regeneration, HIV antibody delivery systems, and biodegradable ultrasound technology to boost the effectiveness of chemotherapy for brain cancer. "Whatever we are working on, we want to show that it works very well in vitro and in vivo," Nguyen says. "Then, when we are at the point of commercialization, we set up a startup or license the technology — or maybe team up with an industry partner." Thanh Nguyen is a professor of mechanical engineering in UConn's College of Engineering. (Courtesy of Thanh Nguyen

Octrado introduces its proprietary trading offering: "Your Skill. Our Capital"

Infrastructure, transparent rules and clear legal boundaries positioned as the core of the funded-account model

Could gas prices return to 2022 highs on US-Iran war?

European gas prices have more than doubled owing to the US-Iran war, just as Europe needs to replenish its reserves ahead of winter.

Change text size:

The National Times - Asian stocks up, oil market cautious