<\/p>\n
A screen shows the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.<\/p>\n
Lee Jin-man\/AP Photo\/Lee Jin-man<\/p>\n
Dealers talk near the screens showing foreign exchange rates at a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.<\/p>\n
Lee Jin-man\/AP Photo\/Lee Jin-man<\/p>\n
Currency traders pass by a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics Co., right, stock price at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, July 7, 2026.<\/p>\n
Ahn Young-joon\/AP Photo\/Ahn Young-joon<\/p>\n
A dealer watches computer monitors near the screens showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.<\/p>\n
Lee Jin-man\/AP Photo\/Lee Jin-man<\/p>\n
A member of media stands near the screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.<\/p>\n
Lee Jin-man\/AP Photo\/Lee Jin-man<\/p>\n
BANGKOK (AP) \u2014 Asian shares were mixed on Wednesday and oil prices surged more than 3% after the U.S. launched strikes on Iran following attacks on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
U.S. futures were little changed.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
Brent crude, the international standard, jumped 3.2% to $76.54 a barrel early Wednesday, while U.S. benchmark crude added 3.2% to $72.72 a barrel. Both had declined recently to the levels they were at before the war with Iran began in late February.<\/p>\n
The flareups despite a commitment to seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict have added to uncertainty over oil prices after they fell from their peak well above $100 during the war. They also have coincided with waves of worries that the craze for artificial intelligence-related shares has pushed prices beyond the productivity gains and profits likely to result from massive investments in computer chip production capacity and data centers.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs such, geopolitical headlines will likely determine market sentiment over the coming hours. A further deterioration in the situation could weigh further on equity valuations along with rising stress in technology,\u201d Ipek Ozkardeskaya of Swissquote said in a commentary.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
In share trading, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 lost 1.2% to 67,426.47, while the Kospi in South Korea shed 5.6%, to 7,226,48.<\/p>\n
The South Korean index has soared and then fallen back, briefly surpassing the 9,000 level last month and then succumbing to bouts of heavy selling of big AI-related tech shares like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. Samsung fell 6.7% early Wednesday after dropping about 7% the day before. SK Hynix shed early gains to drop 3.6%.<\/p>\n
Taiwan’s Taiex rose 0.6%.<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng rose 2.9% to 24,178.30.<\/p>\n