Japan's Nikkei 225 rises to record high as Trump extends Iran ceasefire

japan's nikkei 225 hit a record high of 59,691 on wednesday, bucking a broader decline in asia-pacific markets. the move came as donald trump extended a u.s. ceasefire with iran, citing a request from pakistani leaders and noting iran's government was "seriously fractured." trump said the ceasefire would last until iran submits a unified proposal or talks conclude, with the u.s. maintaining a blockade of iranian ports. however, iranian negotiators called planned talks a "waste of time," and the uncertainty delayed vice president jd vance's trip to join peace talks. oil futures gave up gains, with wti at $89.42 and brent at $98.19. japan's rise followed trade data showing a seventh straight month of export growth and a march surplus of 667 billion yen. elsewhere, south korea's kospi fell 1.02%, hong kong's hang seng dropped 1.08%, and australia's asx 200 lost 0.98%. u.s. equity futures, however, added about 0.4%.