On Monday (7 September, 9:17 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), most major indices in the Asia-Pacific increased, reflecting gains recorded by major U.S. technology stocks at the end of last week. Investors continued to monitor developments in the Middle East, where ongoing hostilities involving the United States and Iran have kept geopolitical concerns elevated.
Technology shares were among the primary drivers of regional advances. Notably, South Korea’s SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics posted solid performances. Positive sentiment toward the sector followed OpenAI’s recent announcement about the launch of GPT-6, a new technological milestone that the company claims marks a significant step in its pursuit of artificial general intelligence over the past decade.
Meanwhile, Middle East instability remained in focus after U.S. forces carried out airstrikes on three Iranian oil tankers. The action came after reports that U.S. naval vessels were targeted by ballistic missiles. Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated that a renewed Iran nuclear deal was not imminent, suggesting that negotiations may only resume under a different Iranian administration.
Notably, U.S. financial markets are set to close on Monday for a holiday.
Japan’s NIKKEI rose by 2.30% to 66,514.12. South Korea’s KOSPI grew by 2.99% to 6,887.20, and Australia’s ASX 200 climbed by 0.07% to 9,012.00.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC slid by 0.11% to 3,925.75. Hong Kong’s HSI dropped by 0.84% to 25,434.29, while Shenzhen’s SZI surged 0.91% to 13,639.30.
The U.S. stock markets edged down on Friday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) fell by 0.51% to 53,414.25. NASDAQ lost 0.29% to 26,506.99, and S&P 500 declined by 0.38% to 7,718.60. VIX added 1.47% to 14.53.
As for commodities, oil prices settled higher on Friday as military tensions between the U.S. and Iran flared up after seven months of ongoing hostilities. Brent crude closed at $96.28 per barrel, marking a gain of 76 cents or 0.8%, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate finished at $91.48 per barrel, an increase of 18 cents or 0.2%.
Monday saw further upward movement as continued retaliatory actions in the Strait of Hormuz fueled worries over potential long-term disruptions to Middle Eastern supply. Brent futures advanced 52 cents, or 0.54%, to $96.80 per barrel, and the WTI futures gained 57 cents, or 0.62%, to $92.05 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures contracted by 0.56% to $4,451.70 per Troy ounce.
