NI225 fell by 1.00% within the day.

Samsung Electronics: Despite ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, chip demand will remain strong in the second quarter and oil prices rise.

Japan's 40-year government bond yield rose 6 basis points to 3.925%. Japan's 30-year government bond yield rose 5 basis points to 3.690%.

Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor unit beat expectations with a 48-fold profit jump, driven by strong margins from AI-related memory demand. Heavy spending by hyperscalers such as Meta Platforms and Alphabet is supporting high-bandwidth memory growth, with analysts pointing to sustained pricing strength amid tight supply. Counterpoint Research expects DRAM contract prices to rise 60% quarter-on-quarter in Q2 after a 42% increase in March. Samsung is considering multiyear contracts to stabilise supply, while analysts debate risks from potential disruptions and their impact on customer confidence.

Sources: The US Pentagon's estimate of US$25 billion for the Iran war is low and does not include the cost of repairing the severe damage to US military bases in the region.

According to CBS: On Wednesday morning local time, a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to San Diego had a close encounter with a drone as it approached landing.