Asian shares mostly dipped in Monday (March 30, 2026) morning trading as worries continued about soaring oil prices and the potential for further escalation in the U.S. war with Iran.
The drops in Asia follow the deep declines on Wall Street last Friday (March 27) that finished off a fifth straight losing week, its longest such streak in nearly four years.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 4.5% in morning trading to 50,979.54. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 lost 1.2% to 8,417.00. South Korea’s Kospi dove 3.2% to 5,264.32. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 1.7% to 24,519.63, while the Shanghai Composite shed 0.7% to 3,884.57.
In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude jumped $2.28 to $101.92 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, soared $2.88 to $115.45 a barrel. Before the war, brent had been price at about $70 to a barrel.
-AP
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