Global markets today: Asian markets kicked off the first full trading week of 2026 on a positive note after the U.S. announced it had launched an attack on Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro over the weekend.
U.S. authorities said that following the operation, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were flown to New York, where they were charged with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and other offences. According to the indictment, drug trafficking had “enriched and solidified Venezuela’s political and military elite.”
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 surged 2.26% in its first session of the year, while the Topix rose 1.42% to a record high. Defense stocks led the gains, with Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries climbing 5.7% and 6.4%, respectively.
South Korea’s Kospi advanced 2.19% to close at an all-time high of 4,420.92, while the small-cap Kosdaq edged up 0.2%. Defense major Hanwha Aerospace jumped as much as 4%, and Poongsan traded about 3% higher.
Australia’s ASX/S&P 200 was trading largely unchanged. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index was poised for a higher open, with futures at 26,442 compared with the previous close of 26,338.47.
Meanwhile, China’s SSE Composite Index began the session marginally higher, was up less than a percent, trading 0.62% up at 3,993.37.
“Asian markets have posted strong gains in early trade today, with the KOSPI and Nikkei surging over 2%, driven by renewed optimism around AI, technology-led buying, and an improvement in global risk appetite,” said Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money.
Crude oil and gold prices today
Oil prices declined following the escalation involving the oil-rich nation. Brent crude dropped over 1% earlier in the session before trimming losses and was last down 0.25%, while West Texas Intermediate crude slipped 0.4%.
Venezuela, a founding member of OPEC, holds the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves at about 303 billion barrels—roughly 17% of global reserves—according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Meanwhile, spot gold prices rose more than 1% to $4,383.99.
Wall Street today
U.S. equity futures were steady during early trading hours in Asia.
On Friday—the first trading session of 2026—the S&P 500 ended modestly higher, supported by gains in semiconductor stocks. The benchmark advanced 0.19% to close at 6,858.47, while the Nasdaq Composite edged down 0.03% to 23,235.63. Both indices had posted stronger gains earlier in the session, with the S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq rising as much as 0.7% and 1.5%, respectively.
Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 319.10 points, or 0.66%, to finish at 48,382.39.
(With inputs from agencies)
