Asian stock markets fell for a third day in a row on Wednesday and oil prices moved higher as investors watch developments in the US-Israel war with Iran.
South Korea’s Kospi index plunged by 10% after trading was halted temporarily by a so-called circuit breaker, which aims to avoid panic selling. Japan’s Nikkei 225 was down by 3.6%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell by 3%.
Brent crude oil was about 2% higher in Asia morning trade after surging over the last two days.
The conflict in the Middle East has rattled financial markets and global energy prices have soared this week after vessels near the crucial Strait of Hormuz shipping lane have come under attack.
Around a fifth of the world’s oil and gas usually flows through the narrow waterway between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), but traffic has almost entirely halted following Iran’s threats to “set fire” to ships.
Traffic through the strait has almost completely halted following Iran’s threats.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump said the US Navy will protect ships in the region “if necessary” in a bid to stop the energy supply crunch sparked by the war.
He said Washington will provide risk insurance “at a very reasonable price” to all shipping firms in the region to “ensure the FREE FLOW of ENERGY to the WORLD”.
Stock markets have fallen sharply since the US and Israel attacked Iran over the weekend.
South Korea’s Kospi is having one of its worst days in decades. The exchange was automatically halted for 20 minutes in Wednesday morning trading, as part of an emergency mechanism that is triggered by major falls and is designed to curb panic selling.
It was the first time the exchange’s so-called circuit breaker had been activated since August 2024.
Most Asian stock markets have been hit particularly hard as the region imports large amounts of energy from the Middle East that has to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Kospi’s slide reflects how “fragile” market sentiment has been effected by the conflict, said Jack Lee from the research organisation China Macro Group.
In China, the Shanghai Composite index was 1.25% lower on Wednesday afternoon. Compared to most other Asian countries it has so far seen relatively little impact.
China’s financial market has been “buffered”, in part because Beijing has alternative sources of energy, including oil from Russia, said Lee.
But, with the war now in its fifth day, investors are concerned about the potential of it turning into a protracted conflict, he added.
On Tuesday, the Kospi, which reopened after a public holiday on Monday, fell by more than 7%. Japan’s Nikkei lost more than 3%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng and the Shanghai Composite in mainland China also fell.
The UK’s FTSE 100 closed 2.75% lower, while Germany and France’s main indexes lost more than 3.4%.
In the US, the S&P 500 index opened sharply lower but recovered some of those losses, ending nearly 1% down.
Tehran has retaliated with strikes across the Middle East, causing major disruption to shipping and commercial flights.
The conflict has weighed heavily on the shares in export-reliant countries like South Korea and Japan, which are especially vulnerable to geopolitical shocks that put shipments at risk.
