BEIJING, March 10 (Bernama-dpa) -- Asian stock markets opened higher on Tuesday following comments by United States (US) President Donald Trump suggesting the Iran conflict could be nearing an end, reported German Press Agency (dpa).
Japan's Nikkei 225 rose about three per cent at the start of trading. The economy of the East Asian country is heavily dependent on oil and gas imports.
South Korea's KOSPI reversed a six per cent drop from the previous session to open 5.5 per cent higher, led by tech stocks such as Samsung Electronics and chipmaker SK Hynix, which were up more than nine per cent at one point.
In China, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index opened 1.3 per cent higher, while the CSI 300 index, tracking major mainland Chinese stocks, rose 0.8 per cent.
The moves followed a CBS News interview in which Trump was quoted as saying: "I think the conflict is very complete, pretty much."
The remarks also contributed to a sharp drop in Brent crude, which fell to US$89.20 a barrel, down more than US$30 from the night before, after surging past US$100 for the first time in years.
-- BERNAMA-dpa
