August 4, 2026 8:26 AM
Asia stocks move higher on Wall Street lead, oil steady
Asian markets made cautious gains at the start of trading as investors followed a global rally, with oil prices holding near the lowest levels in weeks as the U.S.-Iran conflict remained at a stalemate. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.1%, led by South Korean shares rallying as much as 2.1%. Japan's Nikkei 225 slid 0.3%, while S&P 500 e-mini futures EScv1 nudged 0.1% higher. Overnight, markets took confidence from data showing that U.S. manufacturing acti...