Asian Stocks Start Weak as Iran's Retaliatory Attack Causes Sudden Jitters

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] On the 8th, after Iran launched dozens of missiles at a US military airbase in Iraq, Asian stock markets mostly plunged, reflecting concerns over the instability in the Middle East.

At 9:30 a.m. local time on the 8th, the Shanghai Composite Index opened at 3,094.24, down 0.34% from the previous trading day. The Shenzhen Index also opened down 0.48%. Both the Shanghai and Shenzhen markets have been widening their losses as time passes.

The Hong Kong Hang Seng Index, which has many foreign investors and is sensitive to international affairs, started the session down 1.14%. As of 9:35 a.m., the Hang Seng Index further widened its losses to 1.57%, reflecting concerns over the situation in Iran. The Hong Kong H-Share Index, composed of Chinese companies, also fell 1.48%.

Japan’s stock market also expanded its losses to over 2%. As of 10:30 a.m., the Nikkei Index and TOPIX Index dropped 2.45% and 2.28%, respectively, reacting to the instability in the Middle East. At the same time, South Korea’s KOSPI also fell 1.40%.

On the same day, Iran announced that its regular army’s Revolutionary Guard missile unit fired dozens of missiles at the US military airbase in Iraq. The US Department of Defense also confirmed the missile launches. The United States identified Iran as the attacker and warned that it would take all necessary measures, entering a state of readiness to respond.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.