Asian stock markets and futures saw sharp declines on Friday after Israel launched strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, escalating tensions in the Middle East and prompting investors to seek safe-haven assets.
According to Bloomberg, futures for the S&P 500 dropped by as much as 2%, while a broad Asian stock index declined by 1%.
Regional Markets React
Chinese and Hong Kong stocks fell amid regional losses:
Shanghai Composite: ▼ 0.72% to 3,378.01
CSI 300 (blue chips): ▼ 0.76% to 3,862.75
Shenzhen Index: ▼ 1.27%
ChiNext (startups): ▼ 1.14%
STAR50 (tech stocks): ▼ 1.0%
Hong Kong:
Hang Seng Index: ▼ 0.7% to 23,866.86
Hang Seng China Enterprises Index: ▼ 0.89% to 8,651.84
Despite a recent U.S.-China trade truce, major Chinese indices appear headed for weekly losses. South Korea’s benchmark stock index also dropped 1.5%.
Flight to the U.S. Dollar Pressures Asian Currencies
Rising demand for the U.S. dollar as a safe-haven asset weighed on Asian currencies:
Chinese yuan (CNY): ▼ 0.13% to 7.1807 per USD
Indian rupee (INR): Dropped to 86.20, its lowest in two months. It recovered slightly to 86.12 after central bank intervention.
Japanese yen: Gained modestly
Korean won: ▼ 1.1%
Philippine peso: ▼ 0.9%
Thai baht: ▼ 0.3%
Malaysian ringgit: ▼ 0.7%
Taiwan dollar: ▲ 0.5% (hit a 3-year high before stabilizing)
Bond Yields Surge in India
Indian 10-year bond yields rose to 6.3192%, the highest in five weeks, driven by:
Rising oil prices
Pre-auction investor caution
The 2034 benchmark bond yield climbed to 6.3888% from 6.3439% a day earlier.
Other Asian Markets
Japan’s Nikkei 225: ▼ 1.5% to 37,584.47
TOPIX: ▼ 1.28%
Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia stocks: Fell between 0.5%–0.7%
The sudden military escalation and volatility in oil prices are pushing global investors to reallocate away from riskier Asian assets, increasing uncertainty across both equity and currency markets in the region.
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Asian stock markets and futures saw sharp declines on Friday after Israel launched strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, escalating tensions in the Middle East and prompting investors to seek safe-haven assets.
According to Bloomberg, futures for the S&P 500 dropped by as much as 2%, while a broad Asian stock index declined by 1%.
Regional Markets React
Chinese and Hong Kong stocks fell amid regional losses:
Shanghai Composite: ▼ 0.72% to 3,378.01
CSI 300 (blue chips): ▼ 0.76% to 3,862.75
Shenzhen Index: ▼ 1.27%
ChiNext (startups): ▼ 1.14%
STAR50 (tech stocks): ▼ 1.0%
Hong Kong:
Hang Seng Index: ▼ 0.7% to 23,866.86
Hang Seng China Enterprises Index: ▼ 0.89% to 8,651.84
Despite a recent U.S.-China trade truce, major Chinese indices appear headed for weekly losses. South Korea’s benchmark stock index also dropped 1.5%.
Flight to the U.S. Dollar Pressures Asian Currencies
Rising demand for the U.S. dollar as a safe-haven asset weighed on Asian currencies:
Chinese yuan (CNY): ▼ 0.13% to 7.1807 per USD
Indian rupee (INR): Dropped to 86.20, its lowest in two months. It recovered slightly to 86.12 after central bank intervention.
Japanese yen: Gained modestly
Korean won: ▼ 1.1%
Philippine peso: ▼ 0.9%
Thai baht: ▼ 0.3%
Malaysian ringgit: ▼ 0.7%
Taiwan dollar: ▲ 0.5% (hit a 3-year high before stabilizing)
Bond Yields Surge in India
Indian 10-year bond yields rose to 6.3192%, the highest in five weeks, driven by:
Rising oil prices
Pre-auction investor caution
The 2034 benchmark bond yield climbed to 6.3888% from 6.3439% a day earlier.
Other Asian Markets
Japan’s Nikkei 225: ▼ 1.5% to 37,584.47
TOPIX: ▼ 1.28%
Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia stocks: Fell between 0.5%–0.7%
The sudden military escalation and volatility in oil prices are pushing global investors to reallocate away from riskier Asian assets, increasing uncertainty across both equity and currency markets in the region.
