Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on Monday as investors weighed possible US intervention in Iran and US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell under criminal investigation.
Investors will be watching oil prices as Iran enters its third week of protests that have killed more than 500 people, according to a US rights group. President Donald Trump is reportedly considering options for intervention in Iran, according to multiple reports on Sunday.
Brent crude futures reversed course to settle at $63.05 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude fell 0.49% to $58.83 a barrel as of 10am Singapore time (9pm ET Sunday).
Spot gold prices rose more than 1.6% to a record $4,581.29 an ounce.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added 0.48%.
South Korea’s Kospi gave up earlier gains to fall 0.4%, while small firm Kosdaq fell 0.89%. Hyundai Glovis shares rose as much as 8% after analysts raised their target price for the South Korean logistics firm, SEEbiz reports. Hyundai Glovis was last up 4.42%.
Robot maker Boston Dynamics, in which Hyundai Glovis owns an 80% stake, announced a partnership with Google DeepMind last Monday to integrate artificial intelligence into humanoid robots.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index added 0.93% and China’s CSI 300 rose 0.56%.
India’s Nifty 50 fell 0.68% and the BSE Sensex lost 0.59%.
Japanese markets were closed for the holiday. On Sunday, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s coalition partner, Hirofumi Yoshimura, said she may call an early general election. His comments come after domestic media reported that Takaichi was considering early elections in February, citing government sources.
The Japanese yen weakened sharply on Monday, hitting a one-year low of 158.19 against the dollar.
