Asian markets ended mixed on Monday amid renewed tensions over escalating US-Iran conflicts and threats to close the vital Strait of Hormuz. Iran announced the closure of the waterway ‘until further notice’- a claim US military and maritime authorities rejected. South Korea's Kospi led the regional losses, plunged almost 9% and triggered a market-wide circuit breaker after the sell-off erased $328 billion in market value, driven by heavy liquidations of AI and semiconductor heavyweights like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. Moreover, Japan’s Nikkei tumbled as rising crude oil prices clouded the outlook for corporate earnings growth. Meanwhile, market participants were cautious ahead of key inflation and GDP data releases from the US and China, as well as Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh's first congressional testimony due this week. Investors were also watching the upcoming Bank of Korea (BOK) policy decision due on Thursday, with the central bank widely expected to lift its base rate to 2.75%.
| Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
| Shanghai Composite | 3,913.79 | -82.37 | -2.06 |
| Hang Seng | 24,213.72 | 38.60 | 0.16 |
| Jakarta Composite | 6,037.84 | 113.48 | 1.92 |
| KLSE Composite | 1,698.44 | 6.95 | 0.41 |
| Nikkei 225 | 67,242.73 | -1,315.00 | -1.92 |
| Straits Times | 5,470.34 | 1.05 | 0.02 |
| KOSPI Composite | 6,806.93 | -669.01 | -8.95 |
| Taiwan Weighted | 45,380.52 | 25.91 | 0.06 |
