Asian Markets Tumble, Indian Benchmarks Open Lower After US-Israel Strikes on Iran

Guwahati: Asian stock markets fell sharply on Monday after the United States and Israel carried out airstrikes on Iran over the weekend, pushing oil prices higher and making investors nervous.

The weak mood also followed losses on Wall Street on Friday, where worries about artificial intelligence and interest rates weighed on U.S. stocks.

Futures linked to the S&P 500 were down about 0.6% in late trade.

In Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index dropped 2.4%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 1.6%, with technology stocks leading the losses. Japan’s broader TOPIX index also declined by 1.6%.

Meanwhile, Chinese markets saw smaller declines.

The CSI 300 fell 0.6% and the Shanghai Composite slipped 0.5%. Australia’s ASX 200 was down 0.5%, Singapore’s Straits Times index lost 1.8%, and futures for India’s Nifty 50 fell 0.8%.

It is worth mentioning that investor sentiment weakened after the Middle East tensions raised fears of a wider conflict and possible disruption to global oil supplies. Iran later launched retaliatory strikes at several targets in the region, adding to uncertainty.

Besides this, oil prices rose sharply on Monday, increasing concerns about inflation in Asian countries that rely heavily on imported crude.

Technology shares also remained under pressure, as investors stayed cautious about how fast-growing AI tools could affect the sector, especially software companies that have already seen losses in recent weeks.

On the other hand, Indian benchmark indices opened sharply lower on Monday, mirroring weak global cues as US-Iran tensions escalated. At 10:00 am, the Nifty 50 was trading 0.95% (239.30 points) lower at 24,950, while the Sensex declined 0.98% (796.18 points) to 80,488.8.

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