Markets react mildly to the US capture of Venezuelan leader Maduro

BANGKOK (AP) — Oil prices fell backmost Monday portion the prices of precious metals surged arsenic markets registered a mild and mixed absorption to the U.S. seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro successful a play raid.

Asian shares rallied connected dense buying of tech-related stocks and U.S. futures were level aft tiny gains Friday connected Wall Street.

“While the seizure of Venezuelan president Maduro by American forces has dominated headlines, fiscal markets look unperturbed,” Thomas Mathews of Capital Economics said successful a report. “We hold with the implicit presumption that the near-term economical and fiscal implications are minor.”

Shortly aft trading began, U.S. benchmark crude lipid roseate slightly. But it aboriginal was trading 52 cents little astatine $56.80 per barrel. Brent crude, the planetary standard, gave up 49 cents to $60.26 per barrel.

After years of neglect and planetary sanctions, Venezuela’s lipid manufacture is successful disrepair. It could instrumentality years and large investments earlier accumulation tin summation dramatically. But immoderate analysts expect Venezuela could treble oregon triple its existent output of astir 1.1 cardinal barrels of lipid a time to instrumentality to historical levels reasonably quickly.

With lipid levels already plentiful, crude already was trading adjacent its lowest level successful astir six months.

In immoderate case, the U.S. determination rippled done fiscal markets arsenic traders maneuvered to relationship for the uncertainty brought connected President Donald Trump's antithetic subject cognition and his insistence that the U.S. volition beryllium moving Venezuela pursuing its Maduro's ouster.

The terms of golden roseate 2.4% and metallic jumped 6%.

Such assets are often considered harmless havens successful times of geopolitical turmoil.

“Investors are blessed to ain risk, but they privation security successful the drawer. This is assurance with a hedge, not euphoria,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said successful a commentary.

Share prices successful Asia changeable sharply higher.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 jumped 3% to 51,832.80, its highest adjacent since it deed a grounds of 52,411.34 connected Oct. 31. The scale closed astatine a twelvemonth extremity precocious for 2025 and lone resumed trading connected Monday.

“Looking astatine the situation surrounding the markets, continuously, determination are assorted hazard factors. We indispensable support an oculus connected geopolitical risks successful Ukraine, the Middle East and East Asia, the U.S.-China commercialized war, monetary policies successful different countries and their development, and firm show trends successful Japan,” Hiromi Yamaji, CEO of the Japan Exchange Group, said successful the market's accepted New Year opening ceremony.

South Korea's Kospi surged 3.4% to 4,457.52, a record. It besides ended Friday with a grounds precocious close.