Foreign News
Asian Stock Markets Today: Kospi, Nikkei Fall As Brent Slips Ahead Of Iran Sanctions Plan
Asian stock markets traded mixed on Monday as investors turned their attention to the US plan for fresh economic action against Iran. South Korea’s Kospi fell 1.53% and Japan’s Nikkei 225 declined 0.46%, while Australia’s ASX 200 rose 0.25%.
The focus is on US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s scheduled press conference, where he is expected to outline sanctions targeting Iran. Bessent has described the planned action as the biggest campaign of coordinated economic isolation ever undertaken.
The measures follow President Donald Trump’s warning last week that Washington would pursue what he called the most crushing economic operation imposed on any country.
Oil prices eased ahead of the announcement. Brent crude fell 1% to $93.45 a barrel. Despite the day’s decline, crude remains sharply higher this year, having risen more than 50% as the six-month US-Iran war disrupted global oil supplies and uncertainty persisted over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Gold, meanwhile, hovered near a three-month high. Bullion rose as much as 0.5% to trade above $4,620 an ounce, extending a third straight weekly advance. The metal had gained more than 5% last week after the US Treasury unexpectedly increased its buybacks of long-dated government debt, contributing to lower yields and a weaker dollar.
US futures indicated a subdued start to the new week. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slipped 44 points, or 0.1%, while S&P 500 futures fell 0.1% and Nasdaq-100 futures declined 0.2%.
The cautious tone followed a weak week for Wall Street. The Dow lost 0.8%, marking its second consecutive weekly decline. The S&P 500 dropped 1.4% and the Nasdaq fell 2%, ending three-week winning streaks for both indices.
Investors are likely to closely assess the details of the sanctions package and its potential consequences for Iran, global crude supplies and broader market sentiment.
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