Top Stories — Friday, April 17, 2026
What is trending in the USA today? Here is Breaking News:
- Asia markets open lower as fragile Middle East ceasefire tempers sentiment — CNBC
- DoorDash’s new ad tools could change how restaurants compete for customers — Fox Business
- Oil falls as Trump reiterates Iran war ‘should’ end soon and Israel-Lebanon truce lifts hopes — CNBC
Asia markets open lower as fragile Middle East ceasefire tempers sentiment
Source: CNBC • Published: 4/17/2026, 7:26:44 AM
Asia-Pacific markets opened lower Friday, as cautious optimism over the Middle East conflict tempered sentiment, diverging from Wall Street's record-setting rally.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said that the war in Iran "should be ending pretty soon," reiterating rosy predictions about the end of the conflict.
Hours earlier, Trump confirmed that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, starting at 5 p.m. ET. Iran's parliament speaker has said that Israel halting attacks on Lebanon is a key condition for U.S.-Iran negotiations to start.
The next round of in-person talks between the U.S. and Iran may occur "probably, maybe, next weekend," Trump said Thursday. A two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran will expire on April 21.
West Texas Intermediate fell 1.18% to $93.57 per barrel as of 9:31 p.m. ET, while Brent crude fell 0.97% to $98.43 per barrel.
Japan's export credit agency, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, will set up an investment window of up to 600 billion yen ($3.8 billion) to help Asian countries secure energy supplies, Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said.
She added that oil market volatility is affecting foreign exchange markets.
Investors are also digesting comments by Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda on Friday, who said the central bank must take Japan's low real rates into account when setting policy.
Japan's Nikkei 225 saw some profit-taking following a record high on Thursday, slipping 0.95%, while the Topix was down 1.10%.
South Korea's Kospi pared early losses to fall 0.23% while the small-cap Kosdaq was marginally higher. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.49%.
Mainland China's CSI300 index was trading 0.23% lower, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index declined 0.54% lower. Shares of Hangzhou-based developer Manycore Tech tripled on its Hong Kong Exchange debut, opening at HK$20.7 versus its offer price of HK$7.62, in a $156 million listing.
During Thursday's regular session, the S&P 500 gained 0.26% to close at 7,041.28, while the Nasdaq gained 0.36% to settle at 24,102.70.
The tech-heavy index posted its 12th consecutive positive session, notching its longest winning run since 2009. Both averages logged intraday and closing records.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 115 points, or 0.24%, and ended at 48,578.72.
— CNBC's Lisa Kailai Han and Sean Conlon contributed to this report.
DoorDash’s new ad tools could change how restaurants compete for customers
Source: Fox Business • Published: 4/17/2026, 7:09:47 AM
DoorDash is rolling out new advertising features to help restaurants find customers who are more likely to order from them, bring in new diners and expand their business more efficiently.
In a news release shared by the company on Thursday, three new tools have been added to the online food ordering/delivery platform to help restaurants quickly gain regular customers.
"Restaurant brands want to reach customers who will genuinely enjoy their food and hospitality and keep coming back over time," Vassili Samolis, VP of ad products & AI foundations at DoorDash, said in the release.
"We built these tools to help restaurants connect with the right audience and better understand which menu items, promotions and experiences are driving results so they can make smarter decisions, invest with confidence and grow their business on DoorDash."
DoorDash has launched three new tools on its app to better help restaurants target customers. (Thiago Prudencio/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)
One of the tools is called Brand Interest Targeting, which allows restaurants to show ads to people who already like similar food or brands.
In tests, ads using this feature performed better, bringing in over 14% more return on ad spend compared to ads without targeting, according to the news release.
DoorDash also introduced the Brand Sales Growth tool that shows how a restaurant’s sales are growing compared to similar businesses. It specifically looks at trends from the past three months and helps restaurants understand whether their ads are actually helping them grow.
The platform has additionally introduced Average Ticket Sizing Reporting, allowing restaurants to target customers based on how much they usually spend.
The new DoorDash features for restaurants include the Brand Interest Targeting, Brand Sales Growth and Average Ticket Sizing Reporting tools. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
For example, a restaurant can focus on customers who tend to place bigger, higher-value orders — not just more orders.
The news release reported that, in early tests, targeting high-spending customers increased order size by over 35% and delivered much better returns compared to untargeted ads.
Taken together, the tools signal a shift toward more data-driven competition on the platform, where success may depend less on broad visibility and more on how precisely restaurants can target the right customer.
Read the full story at Fox Business.
Oil falls as Trump reiterates Iran war ‘should’ end soon and Israel-Lebanon truce lifts hopes
Source: CNBC • Published: 4/17/2026, 6:27:36 AM
Oil prices fell after U.S. President Donald Trump said that the war in Iran "should be ending pretty soon," while a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon raised hopes of easing supply disruptions.
U.S. crude oil futures for May delivery fell 1.45% to $93.32 per barrel. International benchmark Brent for June delivery declined 1.11% to $98.36 per barrel.
Trump on Thursday said that "the war in Iran is going along swimmingly," reiterating rosy predictions about the end of the war that began on Feb. 28.
Hours earlier, Trump said in a Truth Social post that a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon is set to begin at 5 p.m. ET.
He added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun would be invited to the White House for what he described as the first meaningful talks between the two countries since 1983.
The U.S. State Department said both sides aimed to create conditions for lasting peace, including mutual recognition of sovereignty. The department said the effort included improved border security and reaffirmed Israel's right to self-defense.
It also noted shared concerns over non-state armed groups from undermining Lebanon's sovereignty.
Trump said he expects Lebanon to "take care of Hezbollah," the Iran-backed militant group. The developments raised hopes of a broader resolution to the Middle East conflict.
Oil prices were drifting lower on expectations that the U.S. and Iran could extend their ceasefire by another two weeks and potentially resume talks to end the conflict, ING said.
"However, the physical market is becoming tighter every day that passes without a restart of oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz," ING analysts said in a note.
Even accounting for pipeline rerouting and limited tanker movements, ING estimates roughly 13 million barrels per day of supply has been disrupted, a figure that could rise further under a U.S. blockade.
"The key upside risk for the market is that peace talks between the US and Iran break down. This isn't an unrealistic scenario, given that US and Iranian demands remain fairly wide apart."
For complete details, visit the original sources linked above.
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