{
  "id": 8174907,
  "title": "Asian stocks track Wall St rally as oil prices drop",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/asian-stocks-track-wall-st-rally-as-oil-prices-drop",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-18T04:12:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/business/markets/asian-stocks-track-wall-st-rally-as-oil-prices-drop-1.500678967"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Asian stocks followed a Wall Street rally on Friday as falling oil prices helped ease inflation concerns, while investors prepared for a Bank of Japan interest rate decision later that day. The Federal Reserve's recent increase in borrowing costs offered some reassurance to traders who were worried policymakers were not acting swiftly enough to curb rising inflation. This concern could have negatively impacted the world's largest economy. The Saudi Arabian government announced plans to restore nearly half of the crude shipments blocked by a pipeline shutdown, which was crucial as the Strait of Hormuz remained closed due to Iran's actions. Crude prices, which had risen around 20% in September, dropped by about 5% from their recent peaks, with West Texas Intermediate falling below $100 for the first time since the end of last month. This sharp decline in oil prices provided a much-needed boost to stocks worldwide. Major Asian markets, including Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, and Taipei, all rose, despite slight declines in Singapore, Wellington, and Manila. The fall in oil prices and the Federal Reserve's actions calmed investors and kept the 10-year US Treasury bond yield, a key indicator for borrowing costs in the world's largest economy, below 5%. On currency markets, the yen weakened against the US dollar ahead of the Bank of Japan's decision, which is widely anticipated to be a 25-basis-point rate hike. However, analysts noted that the rate decision itself may have limited impact on the yen, as the market had already factored in the move. The real focus will be on the forward swaps curve and the Bank's guidance regarding the pace and urgency of further interest rate hikes. Governor Kazuo Ueda's press conference, scheduled for around 0200 GMT Tokyo, will be crucial. Market participants will be looking for confirmation that further normalization of rates remains on the table, while assessing whether the Bank sees any urgency to raise rates again.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "CNA - Business",
        "title": "South Korea extends fuel-tax cuts until end of November",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/south-korea-extends-fuel-tax-cuts-until-end-of-november",
        "published": "2026-09-17T23:01:58.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Japan Times",
        "title": "South Korea president seeks reset after approval rating nosedive",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/south-korea-president-seeks-reset-after-approval-rating-nosedive",
        "published": "2026-09-17T23:04:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "South Korea to extend fuel tax cut through November amid price burdens",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/south-korea-to-extend-fuel-tax-cut-through-november-amid-price-burdens",
        "published": "2026-09-18T00:34:50.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Business Times - Companies & Markets",
        "title": "South Korea’s Kospi climbs as Asian stocks, bonds gain; oil extends decline",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/south-koreas-kospi-climbs-as-asian-stocks-bonds-gain-oil-extends",
        "published": "2026-09-18T02:01:52.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}