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In the bustling cityscape of Tokyo, Japan, markets across the Asia-Pacific region kicked off the first full trading week of 2026 on a positive note. This followed a dramatic weekend where the United States announced it had conducted an operation in Venezuela, leading to the capture of President Nicolas Maduro. The situation caused oil prices to dip slightly as investors considered the ramifications of these heightened geopolitical tensions.
American officials reported that Maduro, along with his wife Cilia Flores, was transported to New York. There, they face charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, among other criminal allegations. According to an indictment, drug trafficking activities have significantly benefited and bolstered Venezuela’s political and military leadership.
In response to the developments in the oil-rich nation, oil prices experienced a downturn. Brent crude futures initially dropped by over 1% but later recovered some ground, trading 0.3% lower at $60.57. Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate crude prices saw a 0.4% decline, settling at $57.09 per barrel.
Venezuela, one of the original members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), possesses the world’s largest confirmed crude oil reserves. With 303 billion barrels, Venezuela’s reserves account for approximately 17% of the global total, as reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Oil prices fell after the escalation involving the oil-rich nation. Brent crude futures slipped more than 1% earlier before paring losses, and were last trading 0.3% lower at $60.57, while the West Texas Intermediate crude prices fell 0.4% to $57.09 per barrel.
Venezuela, a founding member of OPEC, holds the largest proven crude oil reserves in the world, at 303 billion barrels, or about 17% of the global total, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Spot gold prices advanced more than 2% to $4,427.09
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index jumped 2.97% to close at 51,832.8 in its first trading session of the year, while the Topix index added 2.01% to 3,477.52, after hitting a record high. Defense stocks were among the top gainers on the index, with IHI Corp surging 8.99%, while Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries added 8.39% and 7.9%, respectively.
South Korea’s Kospi index extended gains, climbing 3.43% to a record close of 4,457.52, after clocking new all-time highs twice in the session. The small-cap Kosdaq added 1.26% to 957.5.
Index heavyweight Samsung Electronics surged more than 7%, after co-CEO TM Roh told Reuters Monday that the company planned to double the number of its mobile devices with AI features powered by Google’s Gemini this year.
Shares of South Korean defense giant Hanwha Aerospace jumped nearly 7%, while Poongsan, a manufacturer of defense-related products, traded 2.25% higher.
Australia’s ASX/S&P 200 closed flat at 8,728.6.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index ticked slightly above the flatline to 26,347.24, with energy stocks being the biggest drag on the index, while the mainland CSI 300 rose 1.9% to 4,717.75. Shares of China’s biggest energy firm, PetroChina, were among the biggest losers on the Hong Kong index, tumbling 3.52%. CNOOC, the largest producer of offshore crude oil and natural gas in China, fell 3.29%.
India’s Nifty 50 was down 0.17% and the BSE Sensex index fell 0.21%.
U.S. equity futures were steady in early Asian hours.
On Friday stateside, the first trading day of 2026, the S&P 500 closed slightly higher as gains in semiconductor names kept the index afloat.
The benchmark closed up 0.19% at 6,858.47, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.03% to finish at 23,235.63. The two had been solidly positive earlier in the day, with the S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq trading higher by 0.7% and 1.5% at their peaks, respectively.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average moved up 319.10 points, or 0.66%, to settle at 48,382.39.
— CNBC’s Liz Napolitano, Fred Imbert and Sean Conlon contributed to this report.
