South Korea's Kospi opened at a fresh record Monday, leading gains in Asia-Pacific markets amid rising oil prices and escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran. President Donald Trump's rejection of Tehran's latest proposal to end the war, however, stoked worries over an elongated Middle East conflict. Iran submitted a new proposal to U.S. negotiators focused

A shopper walks past a Coach retail store inside a shopping mall on March 24, 2026 in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China. Cheng Xin | Getty Images China's consumer and producer inflation jumped more than expected in April as the Middle East conflict drives commodity costs higher, offering a reflationary boost to the economy. Consumer prices