Asia markets trade broadly higher as oil eases after Trump delays planned Iran strike

Published on 5/19/2026, 1:52:01 AM

Key points

Pedestrians stand in front of an electronic quotation board displaying the Nikkei Stock Average on the Tokyo Stock Exchange along a street in Tokyo on March 23, 2026. Asia-Pacific markets opened broadly higher Tuesday as oil prices, while elevated, eased slightly following news that President Donald Trump was postponing a scheduled attack on Iran.
International Brent crude futures for July delivery fell 2.09% at $109.76 per barrel as of 9:32 p.m.
ET.
West Texas Intermediate futures for June was 0.75% lower at $107.84 per barrel Investors were assessing Japan's first-quarter GDP data, which showed the economy grew at an annualized 2.1% in the first three months of the year.
The growth was sharply higher than the Reuters-polled analysts' average estimate of 1.7%, and against the 1.3% in the previous quarter.

Quick context: Pedestrians stand in front of an electronic quotation board displaying the Nikkei Stock Average on the Tokyo Stock Exchange along a street in Tokyo on March 23, 2026.

Published May 19, 2026.

📌 Source: CNBC

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