On Tuesday morning (13 January, 9:36 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), most major indices in the Asia Pacific advanced, with Japan’s Nikkei leading gains after reports surfaced that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party might dissolve the Lower House this month and pursue an early general election, potentially slated for February, according to national broadcaster NHK.
The upbeat tone among investors persisted despite persistent geopolitical issues in Iran and Venezuela and the news of an ongoing criminal probe into U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
Meanwhile, traders remain attentive to volatility in the oil market, with U.S. President Donald Trump said to be considering measures regarding intervention in Iran, as reported by multiple outlets on Sunday.
In a post on Truth Social published stateside on Monday, Trump declared that nations conducting business with Iran would be hit with a 25% tariff on all U.S.-linked transactions, effective immediately.
Japan’s NIKKEI soared by 3.11% to 53,557.34. South Korea’s KOSPI increased by 0.62% to 4,653.41, and Australia’s ASX 200 surged by 1.00% to 8,847.00.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC slid by 0.06% to 4,162.88. Shenzhen’s SZI declined by 0.33% to 14,319.81, while Hong Kong’s HSI jumped by 1.50% to 27,008.70.
The U.S. stock markets edged up on Monday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) rose by 0.17% to 49,590.20. NASDAQ gained 0.26% to 23,733.90, and S&P 500 grew by 0.16% to 6,977.27. VIX expanded by 4.35% to 15.12.
As for commodities, oil prices settled higher on Monday, fueled by concerns that Iranian crude exports may decrease as authorities intensify efforts to suppress anti-government protests in the country. Gains in the market, however, were capped by expectations that output could increase from Venezuela. Brent crude futures ended the session up 53 cents, or 0.8%, at $63.87 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude settled 38 cents, or 0.6% higher, at $59.50 per barrel.
This morning, Brent crude futures increased 12 cents, or 0.19%, to $63.99 per barrel, and the WTI added 12 cents, or 0.20%, to $59.62 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures fell by 0.46% to $4,593.70 per Troy ounce.
