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.

• In the US – a look ahead to earnings for Delta Airlines and a focus on 3 stocks for the week ahead.
• In the UK – a look ahead to the new tax year in the UK.
• In Asia – a look ahead to China CPI and PPI data.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this special Good Friday Holiday edition of Bloomberg Daybreak, host John Tucker discusses:

• Big bank earnings with Bloomberg Intelligence Senior US Banks Analyst Herman Chan and Bloomberg Intelligence Financials Analyst Neil Sipes
• A year after Elon Musk set out to slash jobs at the IRS, the agency is struggling to meet demands amid a busy filing season. For more, we hear from Bloomberg Law Reporter Erin Slowey.
• Well you may be seeing a little less of the candy this Easter.. That's because  sales are projected to drop.. For details, we speak with Bloomberg's Diana Rosero-Pena.

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.

• In the US – a look ahead to the March jobs report in the U.S and a focus on 3 stocks for the week ahead.
• In the UK – a look ahead to the upcoming South Africa Investment Conference.
• In Asia – a look ahead to South Korea shareholder meetings.

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.