Asia-Pacific markets mostly decline as U.S. bombing of Iran escalates Middle East crisis

Asia-Pacific markets mostly declined Monday, after the United States' attack on three nuclear sites in Iran raised oil prices and investors' fears of an escalation in the Middle East conflict.

Oil prices have spiked in recent weeks following the increased tensions in the Middle East.

Brent Crude was trading at $78.23 per barrel after gaining 1.56% as of 2.12 p.m. Singapore time, while the West Texas Intermediate crude added 1.6% to $75.03.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 declined 0.17%, while the broader Topix index moved down 0.38% in its last hour.

In South Korea, the Kospi index retreated 0.17%, while the small-cap Kosdaq lost 1.01% in its final hour.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index moved up 0.6% in choppy trade, while mainland China's CSI 300 index added 0.16%.

Over in Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 ended the day 0.36% lower at 8,474.9.

India's benchmark Nifty 50 dropped 0.58%, while the BSE Sensex fell 0.7%.

U.S. equity futures fell in early Asia hours following the U.S. strikes in Iran. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 109 points, or 0.3%. S&P 500 futures shed 0.3% and Nasdaq 100 futures lost 0.4%.

Two of the three key benchmarks on Wall Street fell last Friday as investors kept watch on the Middle East conflict while contemplating the Federal Reserve's plans for interest rate cuts.

The S&P 500 declined 0.22% to end at 5,967.84, making it the broad-based index's third consecutive losing session. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.51% and settled at 19,447.41, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average ticked up 35.16 points, or 0.08%, closing at 42,206.82.

Hong Kong shares rise in choppy trade

Hong Kong stocks rose in choppy trade Monday despite losses across the Asia-Pacific region as markets digested the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

The Hang Seng Index was up 0.64% as of 2.08 p.m. local time. Gains were led by the real estate, academic and educational services and healthcare sectors.

Meanwhile, the tech-heavy Hang Seng Tech Index was last seen trading 0.98% higher.

The top three performers on the index were Li Auto which surged 6.96%, Hua Hong Semiconductor, which gained 4.12% and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp which added 3.8%.

The Hang Seng Tech Index ETF shows the day's moves:

European bonds are safer investments than U.S. Treasurys: Swiss private bank CIO

It is surprising that a stronger U.S. dollar has not been observed amid geopolitical tensions, indicating that investors are “not that fond” of the dollar these days, said Philipp Bärtschi, CIO of Bank J. Safra Sarasin.

The Swiss private bank expects the dollar to continue its decline in the next 6-12 months, Bärtschi said.

“What we are telling clients is they should look for ways for diversification away from the U.S dollar, away from U.S. Treasurys, probably in things like Euro bonds. We think that is a good alternative ... They are quite attractively valued. We don't have really the inflation issue in Europe so bonds are more safer than in the U.S.,” he added.

Travel-related stocks fall on escalating Middle East tensions

Shares of travel-related stocks in Asia-Pacific extended their declines Monday following a surge in oil prices after the U.S.' strike on Iran over the weekend, as well as fears of supply disruption from the potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

The Straits are a critical chokepoint for about a fifth of the world's oil.

Losses in Japan were seen in Japan Airlines, which was down 1.35% and ANA Holdings which lost 1%, as of 10.50 a.m. Singapore time. ANA Holdings is the parent company of several airlines, including All Nippon Airways, Air Japan and Peach Aviation.

Other air carriers in Asia-Pacific were also trading in negative territory, with Australia's Qantas Airways down 2.09% and South Korea's Asiana Airlines down 1.75%. Hong Kong-listed Air China and Cathay Pacific Airways had also fallen 1.48% and 0.2% respectively.

Losses were also seen in other travel-related companies such as South Korean tour operators Lotte Tour Development which plunged 4.34%, Modetour Network which was down 2.31% and Hana Tour which had lost 2.35%.

Asia-Pacific currencies weaken against the greenback

Asia-Pacific currencies depreciated against the greenback on Monday as investors assessed the impact of the escalating tensions in the Middle East.

The Japanese yen, which is traditionally viewed as a safe asset during times of tumult, weakened 0.31% against the dollar to 146.52.

China's offshore yuan depreciated 0.15% to 7.1883 against the dollar, while the Taiwanese dollar weakened 0.28% to 29.657.

The South Korean won similarly depreciated 0.45% against the dollar to 1,380.20. The country's acting finance minister Lee Hyoung-il reportedly said earlier in the day that the government would closely monitor financial markets and energy supplies and respond if needed.

Meanwhile, the Australian dollar strengthened 0.36% to 0.6425.

Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, the Singapore dollar depreciated 0.12% against the greenback to 1.2890, while the Philippine peso weakened by 0.78% to 57.573, after hitting its lowest level since Apr. 9 earlier in the session.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian ringgit weakened by 0.64% to 4.2779 against the greenback, while the Indonesian rupiah depreciated by 0.46% to 16,455, after falling to its lowest level since May 19 earlier in the session. The Thai baht weakened 0.49% to 32.95.

The U.S. dollar index, which measures the currency against six major rivals, had gained 0.26% to 98.969 as of 10.18 a.m. Singapore time.

Oil extends gains as investors keep a close watch on Israel-Iran tensions

Oil prices continued to rise Monday as investors kept a close watch on Israel-Iran tensions after the U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear sites.

Brent Crude was trading at $79.08 per barrel after rising 2.69%, as of 9.25 a.m. Singapore time.

Meanwhile, the West Texas Intermediate crude added 2.74% to $75.85.

Both contracts had jumped by more than 3% earlier in the session to $81.40 and $78.40, respectively, to hit their highest levels since January, before paring some gains.

South Korean stocks fall over 1%

South Korean stocks fell Monday, as Asia-Pacific markets logged declines.

As of 10.15 a.m. local time, the Kospi index had dropped 1.09%, reversing course from gains in its previous five sessions and its 42-month high close last Friday.

Meanwhile, the small-cap Kosdaq index was last seen trading down 1.89%.

Among the index heavyweights, LG Energy Solution had plunged 4.59%, while LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix had lost 3.11%, 2.94% and 1.95% respectively.

Tech stocks lead losses on Japan's Nikkei 225 benchmark

Japanese tech stocks declined sharply on Monday and were among the worst performers on the Nikkei 225 share average.

The 225-stock index extended its losses for the third consecutive session, and was down 0.51% as of 10 a.m. local time.

The worst performing stocks on the index were semiconductor manufacturer Screen Holdings, which plunged 4.78%, Lasertec Corp, which declined 4.31% and Disco Corp, which declined 3.38%.

Meanwhile, shares of tech giants Advantest and Softbank were last seen down 1.66% and 0.76% respectively.

Auto stocks join the sell-off in Asia after U.S.' strike on Iran

Auto stocks in Asia sank Monday, in line with the wider sell-off in the region after the U.S.' strikes on Iran.

Nissan Motor and Mazda Motor led losses among Japanese automakers, plunging 2.22% and 2.17% respectively as of 8.30 a.m. Singapore time.

Other stocks that logged losses include Mitsubishi Motors, which fell 1.87%, Honda Motor, which was down 1.55% and Toyota Motor, which dropped 1.36%.

South Korea's Hyundai Motor and Kia Corp also logged sharp declines and were last seen down 4.05% and 4.15% respectively.