The Tokyo Tower stands amid buildings at dusk in Tokyo, Japan.
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South Korea stocks fell sharply Monday, leading declines in the region as the Middle East war entered its fifth week.
The benchmark Kospi plunged over 5%, while the small-cap Kosdaq was 3.97% lower. Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 3.97%, while the Topix lost 3.9%.
Australia’sĀ S&P/ASX 200 was 1.46% lower.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index futures were at 24,630, lower than the benchmark’s last close of 24,951.88.
Yemen’s Houthi movement said Saturday it had fired missiles at Israel, marking its first direct involvement in the U.S.- and Israeli-led war against Iran.
In a post on X, Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group launched a barrage of ballistic missiles at what it described as sensitive Israeli military sites, in support of Iran and allied Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.
The strike signals a further escalation in a conflict that began with U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian targets on Feb. 28.
Oil prices were higher in early Asia trading hours. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 2.58% at $102.19 per barrel.
In the U.S., futures tied to theĀ Dow Jones Industrial AverageĀ dropped 253 points, or 0.6%.Ā S&P 500 futuresĀ andĀ Nasdaq 100 futuresĀ lost 0.5% each.
Last Friday, theĀ Dow Jones Industrial AverageĀ tumbled and fell into correction territory. The 30-stock Dow fell 793.47 points, or 1.73%, to close at 45,166.64. TheĀ S&P 500Ā lost 1.67% and ended the session at a seven-month low of 6,368.85. TheĀ Nasdaq CompositeĀ dropped 2.15% and settled at 20,948.36.
The broad market index notched its fifth straight weekly decline, dropping 2.1% in the period. The tech-heavy Nasdaq slid 3.2% week to date, while the blue-chip Dow retreated 0.9% for the week.
ā CNBC’s Sean Conlon and Lisa Kailai Han contributed to this report.
