Asia markets trade mixed after Wall Street losses as Iran war dents risk sentiment
Pump jacks work in a field on March 11, 2026 in Gillett, Texas.
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Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on Friday following choppy trading overnight on Wall Street as the Middle East war and energy supply disruptions kept investors on edge.
In retaliation for Israeli attacks on the South Pars gas field, Iran attacked the world’s largest gas facility in Qatar, damaging energy supplies for the next several years. QatarEnergy CEO Saad al-Kaabi said Iranian attacks destroyed 17% of the country’s LNG export capacity over three to five years.
Tit-for-tat attacks on key oil and gas infrastructure in the Middle East have caused energy prices to soar.
WE natural gas prices It was last traded at $3.112 per million British thermal units, up 1.5%. Approval Nymex RBOB gasoline Meanwhile, April delivery rose nearly 1% to $3.13, reaching its highest level in almost four years.
Oil prices decreased along with international indicators Brent crude futures It fell 2% to $106.45 per barrel. US West Texas Intermediate futures fell 1.56% to $94.64.
Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s largest oil producers, expects prices to rise above $180 per barrel if the supply disruption continues until the end of April. Wall StreetJournal it was reported, citing the country’s officials.
The market effects of the regional war also spread to metals; gold and silver lost around 5% and 10% respectively before losses tapered off.
“The recent decline in the high-volume gold spot price points to panic selling,” Ed Yardeni, senior investor and president of Yardeni Research, said in a note on Friday, adding that a bottom in the recent sell-off is expected soon.
Signaling efforts to alleviate concerns, US President Donald Trump said that he would not deploy ground troops, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel would avoid repeating attacks on Iran’s energy facilities.
Pro-US countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany and Japan, issued a joint statement stating that “we are ready to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.”
of Australia S&P/ASX 200 increased its losses to 0.5%. of hong kong Hang Seng index China’s CSI 300 index rose 0.43% and fell 0.36%.
China’s central bank kept benchmark lending rates steady for the 10th month on Monday; five-year loan interest rates were 3.5% and one-year interest rates were 3%.
South Korea’s blue-chip Kospi gained nearly 1%, while small-cap Kosdaq gained 1.23%. Japanese markets were closed for a public holiday.
Overnight on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.44% to 46,021.43 points. While the S&P 500 index closed at 6,606.49 points with a loss of 0.27 percent, the Nasdaq Composite index decreased by 0.28 percent to 22,090.69 points.
Futures contracts on 30 stock indexes rose 111 points, or 0.2%. S&P 500 futures rose roughly 0.3% and Nasdaq-100 futures rose 0.2% after Wall Street fell overnight.
The Fed left its interest rate unchanged earlier this week and Chairman Jerome Power warned that the economic outlook remained uncertain as hostilities continued in the Middle East.
