Friday, March 20, 2026

Stocks choppy heading into the weekend, Oil Retreats

INTRO: South Korean stocks recovered slightly in early trading on Friday, while Hong Kong stocks fluctuated. Markets in Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines were closed.

It comes as oil prices fell after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks that the war in the Middle East would end "a lot faster than people think". Laura Westbrook reports from Hong Kong.