Asian Markets Down, Oil Prices Rise Amid Middle East Tensions

March 20, 2026 Priya Shah – Business Editor Business

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index opened lower on March 19, 2026, falling 2.5% to 53,875.94 points, while South Korea’s Kospi lost 1.3% to 5,845.62 units, according to reports from financial news outlets.

The declines extended to other major Asian markets. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was down 0.2% and the Shanghai Composite Index shed 0.9%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 also decreased by 0.2%, and Taiwan’s Taiex fell 1.2%.

Simultaneously, Brent crude, a benchmark for European and international markets, traded at $111.24 per barrel, a 3.6% increase compared to the previous day. West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the U.S. Benchmark, rose 0.8% to $96.80 per barrel.

Rising fuel prices globally are linked to escalating tensions in the Middle East, specifically the conflict involving the United States and Israel, and instability in the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran controls and through which approximately 20% of global oil traffic passes. Recent attacks targeting facilities in Qatar and Iran have further destabilized the energy market.

According to reports, even former U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Tel Aviv would not conduct further attacks against Iran’s South Pars gas field.

As of 3:45 PM GMT+9 on March 19, the Nikkei 225 was trading at 53,372.53, according to Google Finance. The index, representing 225 stocks in the Prime Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, previously closed at 55,239.40. The day’s trading range was between 53,190.18 and 54,333.02. The Nikkei 225’s 52-week range is 30,792.74 to 59,332.43.

Other global indices showed mixed performance. The Hang Seng Index was at 25,362.07, up 0.54%. The KOSPI was at 5,799.18, up 0.62%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was at 46,021.43, up 0.44%. The SSE Composite Index was at 3,996.89, up 0.24%. The NIFTY 50 was at 23,002.15, up 3.26%. The TOPIX was at 3,609.40, up 2.91%. The FTSE 100 Index was at 10,063.50, up 2.35%. The DAX PERFORMANCE-INDEX was at 22,839.56, up 2.82%. The S&P 500 was at 6,606.49, up 0.27%. The BSE SENSEX was at 74,207.24, up 3.26%.