Nikkei rebounds as Trump’s Iran strike delay eases war fears

[TOKYO] Japan’s Nikkei share average rose on Tuesday as investors grew hopeful of a potential de-escalation in the Middle East conflict after US President Donald Trump said he would hold off on targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure.

The Nikkei was up 2.1 per cent at 52,613.37, as of 0009 GMT, rebounding from a 3.5 per cent slump on Monday. The broader Topix climbed 2.4 per cent to 3,570.87.

Japanese shares have remained volatile as Trump’s remarks on a potential attack on Iran continue to sway sentiment.

Trump postponed a threat to bomb Iran’s power grid because of what he described as “productive talks” with unidentified Iranian officials. Iran denied that it had engaged in negotiations with the United States.

There were 217 advancers in the Nikkei index against six decliners. REUTERS