In the wake of Israel's strike on the Iranian capital, precipitating a spike in crude oil prices—with both WTI and Brent experiencing substantial appreciation—Asian markets commenced Friday trading in a risk-averse climate, as evidenced by declines in key indices including the Nikkei 225, Kospi, Hang Seng, Shanghai Composite, and S&P/ASX 200; however, according to Xu Tiachen of The Economist Intelligence Unit, despite the inherent systemic risks, a swift recuperation is anticipated across Asian equities, predicated on their circumscribed exposure to the epicentre of geopolitical friction and burgeoning economic entanglements with stable Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states, even as U.S. equities, buoyed by a dovish inflation print that tamped down Treasury yields and rekindled speculation regarding prospective Federal Reserve rate cuts, remain shadowed by the Damoclean sword of inflationary pressures stemming from prospective tariff escalations and the enduring spectre of recessionary headwinds.