Foreign money sellers monitor trade charges as an digital display screen (high) reveals South Korea’s benchmark inventory index (KOSPI) in a overseas trade dealing room on the Hana Financial institution headquarters in Seoul on March 13, 2026.
Jung Yeon-je | Afp | Getty Pictures
Asia-Pacific markets had been blended Monday, as traders proceed to maintain a cautious eye on developments within the Center East amid renewed tensions between Iran and the U.S.
President Donald Trump stated Sunday {that a} U.S Navy guided missile destroyer had fired on and disabled an Iranian-flagged cargo ship within the Gulf of Oman earlier than Marines boarded and seized the vessel.
The seizure is an escalation of the blockade and comes after Iran fired upon business vessels trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz earlier Sunday. The strait is between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
Since final week, the U.S. has been working a naval blockade of ships getting into and exiting Iranian ports. Iran views the continuing blockade as a breach of the ceasefire reached by the U.S. and Iran, and cites this as certainly one of its causes for calling off the anticipated negotiations on Monday in Islamabad.
Trump warned on Sunday he would “knock out each single Energy Plant, and each single Bridge, in Iran” if Tehran didn’t comply with Washington’s phrases to finish the battle.
West Texas Intermediate futures surged 8.11% to $90.65 per barrel as of 8:03 p.m. ET. Brent crude rose 7.21% greater to $96.90 per barrel.
South Korea’s Kospi was greater at 0.27% whereas the small-cap Kosdaq dropped 0.52%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.62%, whereas the Topix gained 0.68%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was 0.39% decrease.
Hong Kong Cling Seng index futures had been at 26,502, greater than the index’s final shut of 26,160.33.
In a single day on Wall Road, Dow Jones Industrial Common futures shed 425 factors, or 0.9%. S&P 500 futures misplaced 0.8%, whereas Nasdaq-100 futures fell 0.65%.
Throughout Friday’s common session, the S&P 500 jumped 1.2% to shut at 7,126.06, crossing the 7,100 threshold for the primary time. The Nasdaq Composite gained 1.52% and settled at 24,468.48 for its thirteenth consecutive successful day and its longest optimistic streak since 1992. Each indexes posted recent intraday and shutting information.
— CNBC’s Fred Imbert, Sean Conlon, Lisa Kailai Han and Garrett Downs contributed to this report.