The drop in crude is read as a modest easing of supply-side concern. There is as yet no evidence of a fundamental change in Middle East shipping conditions, so a reversal remains possible.

Long-dated US yields fell as well, pulling back the 30-year rate that had recently reached a 19-year high. When yields and oil move in the same direction, markets often read it as reduced wariness about price pressure.

Behind the rise in Taiwan's night session lies expectation around semiconductor names, on the calculation that lighter funding costs give capital-spending plans more room.

A single day's move is not enough to fix a direction. Over recent weeks oil and yields have swung widely on geopolitical headlines.

Regular-session reactions in Korea and Taiwan will be visible after the open. This paper offers confirmed figures rather than forecasts.