Asia markets rise despite geopolitical tensions

June 16, 2025 (MLN): Asia-Pacific markets mostly rose Monday, as investors assessed escalating Israel-Iran tensions and parsed a slew of data from China.

Oil prices jumped as Israel and Iran exchanged strikes, while gold prices rallied, as investors sought refuge in the safe haven metal with equity markets sliding globally.

The attacks continued over the weekend, as CNBC reported.

Investors kept a close watch on Chinese markets as the Asian superpower released a slew of data points, including its retail sales and industrial output figures for May.

Retails sales in May jumped 6.4% from the previous year, while industrial output slowed to 5.8% year on year.

Mainland China’s CSI 300 index was flat, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index was 0.12% lower.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 climbed 1.12%, while the broader Topix index advanced 0.67%.

In South Korea, the Kospi index gained 0.83%, while the small-cap Kosdaq moved up 0.55% in choppy trade.

Over in Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 was flat.

Meanwhile, India’s Nifty 50 traded 0.18% higher, while the BSE Sensex index was up 0.24%.

U.S. equity futures moved up during early Asia hours.

All three key benchmarks on Wall Street saw a major sell-off last Friday as the Israel-Iran attacks pushed energy prices higher and added another complication at a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 769.83 points, or 1.79%, ending at 42,197.79.

The S&P 500 dropped 1.13% to close at 5,976.97, while the Nasdaq Composite lost 1.30% and settled at 19,406.83.

Copyright Mettis Link News