Bloomberg Daybreak: Asia Edition

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific. Asian stocks fell as investors lightened their positions ahead of the weekend while awaiting progress on extending the US-Iran ceasefire, after a rally driven by expectations the truce would be prolonged. We spoke to Winnie Hsu, Bloomberg's Asia Equities Reporter. Plus - President Donald Trump struck an optimistic tone for prospects that the US and Iran could clinch a permanent ceasefire as the two sides discuss an extended truce ahead of its expiration next week. "It's looking very good that we're going to make a deal with Iran, and it's going to be a good deal," Trump told reporters at the White House Thursday. Talks between Washington and Tehran could resume this weekend, he said. We heard from Will Todman, CSIS Chief of Staff of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department. He spoke to Bloomberg TV Hosts Haidi Stroud-Watts and Shery Ahn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Netflix gave a forecast for the second quarter that fell short of analysts expectations, sending the shares down in extended trading. The streaming pioneer also announced that chairman and co-founder Reed Hastings is stepping down from the board after 29 years to pursue philanthropy and personal interests. Revenue rose 16% in the first three months of the year to $12.3 billion, compared with estimates for $12.2 billion, the company said in a statement on Thursday. Earnings per share for the quarter were $1.23 compared with estimates of 76 cents. For instant reaction and analysis, Bloomberg Businessweek Daily hosts Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec speak with: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific. Asian stocks tracked Wall Street higher as optimism around a potential US-Iran ceasefire and robust corporate earnings buoyed sentiment. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index opened 0.4% higher on Thursday as traders bet a de-escalation of the Middle East conflict will ease oil prices and lift economic growth. That was after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 indexes both closed at record highs, with Bank of America Corp. and Morgan Stanley leading financials higher after stronger-than-expected revenue. We spoke to Paul Dobson, Bloomberg's Executive Editor for Asia Markets. Plus - The US and Iran are considering a two-week ceasefire extension to allow more time to negotiate a peace deal, according to a person familiar with the matter, reducing the risk of a resumption of fighting despite an intensifying standoff over the Strait of Hormuz. With the initial truce due to expire next week, mediators between the warring sides are seeking technical talks to overcome the most contentious issues preventing a longer-term agreement, said the person, who asked not to be identified discussing sensitive matters. Those include the reopening of Hormuz and the future of Iran's nuclear program. We heard from Linda Robinson, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. She spoke to Bloomberg's Paul Allen and Shery Ahn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific. The US is pressing ahead with a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz to curb Iran's oil exports, with more than 20 commercial ships transiting the strait in the last day. For more on what this means for the supply chain, we heard from Steve Hochman, Partner and Managing Director for the Americas at Nagarro. Plus - The US and Iran are looking to arrange a second round of peace talks in the coming days, while a standoff in the Strait of Hormuz worsens a global energy crisis and complicates diplomatic prospects. The objective is to hold more discussions before an April 7 ceasefire expires next week, according to people familiar with the matter. One proposal is to return to Pakistan, where initial negotiations were held last weekend, though other venues are being considered, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations. For more, we heard from Mara Rudman, Miller Center Practitioner Senior Fellow and Former US State Department Deputy Envoy for Middle East Peace. She spoke to Bloomberg's Haidi Stroud-Watts and Avril Hong See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific. Asian stocks advanced as interest in artificial intelligence shares resurfaced, with Middle East tensions appearing to ease after President Donald Trump raised hopes for talks with Iran. Oil fell. Helping sentiment, Brent crude fell 1.5% to $97.85 a barrel on signs Washington and Tehran may revive peace talks following the start of a US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. For more on the oil story, we spoke to Stephen Stapczynski, Bloomberg's Asia Energy Team Leader. Plus - the US and Iran are in discussions about holding another round of face-to-face negotiations after meetings in Islamabad over the weekend ended in failure, according to people familiar with the matter. The goal is to hold fresh talks before a two-week ceasefire announced April 7 expires next week, according to the people. We heard from William Roebuck, Former US Ambassador to Bahrain & Former US Deputy Special Envoy for the Global Coalition Against ISIS. He spoke to Bloomberg's Shery Ahn and Haidi Stroud-Watts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Host Nathan Hager take a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific. Asian stocks rose as investors positioned ahead of US-Iran ceasefire talks scheduled to take place in Pakistan this weekend. Traders are watching the shaky ceasefire and planned US-Iran talks for clues on the market's next move, with sustaining the rally depending on confidence that the truce holds and oil flows smoothly through the Strait of Hormuz. We spoke to Lianting Tu, Managing Editor for Asia Equities. And for more analysis on the US-Iran talks ahead of this weekend, we heard from Jonathan Panikoff, Atlantic Council Director of the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative. He spoke to Bloomberg's Haidi Stroud-Watts and Shery Ahn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

South Korea could draw up another extra budget in the second half if crude oil disruption caused by the Iran war is prolonged. For more on how this affects the growth story in the tech sector, we spoke to Simon Woo, head of Korea research and head of APAC Technology coordinator at Bank of America Global Research. Plus - The White House announced the US would hold direct talks with Iran even as continued fighting in the Middle East, punctuated by Israeli strikes in Lebanon, threatened to derail the fragile ceasefire in the six-week conflict. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Vice President JD Vance will lead a delegation to Islamabad, which would include special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The first round of talks is set for Saturday morning local time, even as the Strait of Hormuz remained largely closed as of Thursday morning, falling short of a key US condition for the ceasefire. Sporadic fighting continued throughout the region, including in Lebanon, where Israel launched its largest assault on the country since the start of the latest conflict, escalating the campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah. Iranian officials cast that as violating the terms of the day-old agreement. We heard from Barbara Leaf, Arnold & Porter Senior International Policy Advisor and Former US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. She spoke to Bloomberg's Haidi Stroud-Watts and Shery Ahn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire that’s expected to halt the American-Israeli military campaign in exchange for Tehran reopening the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump announced the agreement Tuesday on social media hours after Pakistan, a mediator in talks, implored the US leader to back off his deadline to unleash massive devastation on Iran if it did not meet his demands. The deal buys time for the two sides to reach a longer agreement to end the six-week-old war, which has killed thousands of people and sparked a global energy crisis. Trump said he had agreed “to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks” as long as Iran agrees to “the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz.” For instant reaction and analysis, Bloomberg Radio host Doug Krizner speaks with: - Bloomberg State Department and Foreign Policy Reporter Eric Martin - Bloomberg This Weekend co-host Christina Ruffini - Bloomberg White House and Washington correspondent Jeff Mason - Terry Haines, founder of Pangea Policy - Daniel Byman, Director of the Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program at the Center See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific. Financial markets swung amid uncertainty ahead of President Donald Trump's Iran deadline, with tentative ceasefire signals offset by the risk of an escalation in the conflict. Brent crude trimmed its opening gains to trade just under $110 a barrel as markets remained volatile before Trump's Tuesday 8 p.m. Eastern Time cutoff. US equity-index futures erased initial losses to trade little changed. We speak to Paul Dobson, Bloomberg's Executive Editor for Asia Markets. Plus - President Donald Trump insisted that freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz be part of any deal to end the Middle East war and escalated threats to obliterate key Iranian infrastructure if his terms aren't met before a Tuesday deadline. Trump said Monday that talks with Iran are "going well" and that reopening the strait as "a very big priority." The president in recent weeks has said an agreement on the strait wasn't among his core prerequisites for ending the conflict. "We have to have a deal that's acceptable to me, and part of that deal is going to be we want free traffic of oil and everything," he said at a White House news conference. For more, we heard from Elisa Ewers, Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. She spoke to Bloomberg's Paul Allen and Shery Ahn on the Asia Trade. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Host Nathan Hager take a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this special Good Friday Holiday edition of Bloomberg Daybreak, host John Tucker discusses: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Donald Trump said the war in Iran is “very close” to completion, even as he signaled strikes could escalate in the near term. Trump in a rare prime-time address on Wednesday cast the war as a success, saying the operation had nearly achieved its military goals, including destroying Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, air force, navy and industrial base. He said those steps would prevent Tehran’s proxies from destabilizing the region and cut off the country’s path to nuclear weapons. “Tonight I’m pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing completion,” Trump said from the White House in a roughly 20-minute speech. “We are going to finish the job. and we’re going to finish it very fast, we’re getting very close.” The speech came as the president is grasping for an off-ramp in a conflict that has quickly slipped out of control. For instant reaction and analysis, Bloomberg Radio host Doug Krizner speaks with Bloomberg This Weekend co-host Christina Ruffini and Bloomberg White House and Washington correspondent Jeff Mason. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Donald Trump said he foresaw the US ending the war on Iran within two to three weeks, suggesting the US had largely accomplished its military goals and would leave it to other nations to resolve issues with the Strait of Hormuz. Wall Street rallied today on optimism that the war that has jolted global markets and disrupted energy supplies may be nearing a conclusion. We spoke to Ross Mayfield, Investment Strategist for Baird Private Wealth Management. And for more on President Trump's latest comments on war in Iran, we heard from Jessica Genauer, Academic Director of the Public Policy Institute at the University of New South Wales. She spoke to Bloomberg's Haidi Stroud-Watts and Shery Ahn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Host Nathan Hager take a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific. The White House insisted that peace talks with Iran are ongoing, even as Tehran publicly rejected US overtures and issued fresh conditions of its own to end the conflict that's wreaked havoc across the Middle East and global markets. For more, we heard from Rosemary Kelanic, Middle East Program Director at Defense Priorities. She spoke to Bloomberg's Haidi Stroud-Watts and Shery Ahn Plus - The Asia Pacific Financial and Innovation Symposium is underway in Melbourne. Bloomberg's Haidi Stroud-Watts speaks exclusively to Sam Sicilia, CIO at Hostplus, one of Australia's biggest superannuation funds. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific. Oil declined and equities advanced as optimism strengthened around Washington's diplomatic push to resolve the near month-long Middle East conflict. We heard from Todd Jablonski, CIO and Global Head of Multi-Asset and Quant at Principal Asset Management. He spoke to Bloomberg's David Ingles and Yvonne Man. Plus - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is open to restarting talks with Beijing on a joint oil and gas project in a disputed area of the South China Sea, saying the war in Iran may provide the impetus for a breakthrough. He spoke exclusively to Bloomberg's Haslinda Amin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific. President Donald Trump said the US would postpone strikes against Iran's energy infrastructure after what he called "productive conversations" with the country, in comments that spurred confusion over the participants in the talks and parameters of a deal. For more on the market reaction, we heard from Suresh Tantia, Head CIO Asia Equity Strategy at UBS Global Wealth Management. He spoke to Bloomberg's Haidi Stroud-Watts and Shery Ahn. Plus - for more analysis on President Trump's latest announcement on Iran, we heard from Randa Slim, Middle East Program Lead at the Stimson Center. She spoke to Bloomberg's Haidi Stroud-Watts and Shery Ahn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stocks and bonds rebounded after President Donald Trump said the US and Iran had “very good” conversations about an end to the conflict in the Middle East. President rump said strikes against Iranian energy infrastructure and power plants would be postponed for five days following the start of talks with Iran to end the war. For details on this development, Tom Keene and Paul Sweeney speak with Bloomberg Middle East Reporter Joumanna Bercetche, Silvercrest Asset Management Head of Investment Policy & Strategy Robert Teeter, and Veda Partners Co-Founder Henrietta Treyz. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific. Stocks fell and oil whipsawed in a volatile start to trading, as the war in Iran entered a fourth week with no sign of de-escalation. Treasuries extended their selloff. Martin Schulz, Head of International Equity Group at Federated Hermes spoke to Bloomberg's Haidi Stroud-Watts and Annabelle Droulers on the Asia Trade. Plus - The Milken Institute's Global Investors' Symposium is taking place this week in Hong Kong, bringing together some of the world's most influental investors and business leaders in the Asia Pacific. Bloomberg's Minmin Low spoke to Perry Wong, Senior Fellow and Managing Director at the Milken Institute. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.