Asian shares finish higher, cheered by easing oil prices, but European
benchmarks are slipping
[September 18, 2026] By
YURI KAGEYAMA
TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly rose Friday, getting a lift from a
rally on Wall Street as well as declining oil prices, while European
benchmarks slipped in early trading.
France's CAC 40 shed 0.6% in early trading to 8,136.51, while the German
DAX slipped 0.5% to 25,577.02. Britain's FTSE 100 dipped 0.8% to
10,730.39.
U.S. shares were set to drift higher with Dow futures up 0.2% to
52,299.00. S&P 500 futures rose 0.3% to 7,729.50.
In Asia, Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 1.4% to finish at 65,018.95
after the Bank of Japan raised the benchmark interest rate to 1.25% from
1.0%, a 31-year high.
The move had been widely expected, coming after the Federal Reserve also
raised its key rate this week. Pressures have been coming from the U.S.
for Japan to raise rates because of concerns about the weakening yen.
The nations intervened together recently to prop up the yen. But the
efforts haven't had a big impact.
In currency trading, the U.S. dollar rose to 157.73 Japanese yen from
155.95 yen. The euro cost $1.1486, up from $1.1480.
South Korea's Kospi jumped 2.7% to 6,894.23. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was
little changed, declining less than 0.1% to 8,731.20. Hong Kong's Hang
Seng edged up 0.6% to 24,750.78, while the Shanghai Composite added 0.9%
to 3,911.87.
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Currency traders work at the foreign exchange dealing room of the
Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Sept. 17,
2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
 Falling oil prices and easing
pressure from the bond market have been working as a plus for Wall
Street shares, which in turn are helping global market sentiments.
Also working as a plus is the recent slide in Brent crude oil, from
the nearly $110 it reached earlier in the week on worries that the
war with Iran will keep oil bottled up in the Middle East instead of
going to customers worldwide.
Brent is still more expensive than the $72 per barrel that it cost
earlier this summer.
In Asian trading, Brent, the international standard, lost 2.15% to
$102.57 a barrel. Benchmark U.S. crude slid 1.92% to $99.95 a
barrel.
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised the short-term interest rate
that it controls, the federal funds rate, by a quarter of a
percentage point for its first hike in more than three years.
Officials also signaled they may raise the federal funds rate one
more time this year as they try to get high inflation in the U.S.
under control.
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