Investing.com - Asian-Pacific markets are set to open higher on Tuesday, following a recovery on Wall Street as investors continue to assess the ongoing conflict in Israel.
S&P/ASX 200 added 0.8% after the first 20 minutes of trade, while KOSPI 200 Futures and Nikkei 225 Futures also indicated a positive start.
In the U.S., major stock indexes initially appeared to be on a downward trajectory on Monday. Still, they managed to rally in the afternoon as the Israeli military regained control of several towns from Hamas. The S&P 500 rose by 0.6%, the tech-centric NASDAQ Composite increased by 0.4% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.6%.
The Israel-Hamas conflict has stirred concerns of a potential escalation into a broader Middle Eastern dispute that could disrupt oil supplies. The global oil benchmark, Brent crude futures, rose by 0.9%, and West Texas Intermediate were flat.
Defence contractors also witnessed a boost in their share prices. Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) surged by 8.9% and Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) increased by 11%, recording their best performance since March 2020. European defence companies, including BAE Systems PLC (LON:BAES) from the UK and France's Dassault Aviation SA (EPA:AM), also saw significant gains.
Investors turned to safe-haven assets amidst the geopolitical unrest. Gold, a popular choice during times of conflict, saw a 1.1% increase.
In the local bond markets, the yield on Australian 2-Year government bonds fell to 3.923%, and the 10 Year yield also declined to 4.433%. US Treasury yields were lower, with the 2 Year yield at 5.081% and the 10 Year yield at 4.631%.
In the foreign exchange market, the Australian dollar, Thai Baht and Japanese Yen, ticked higher, the Korean Won held steady while the Korean Dong and Indonesian Rupiah declined.
In Asia, Chinese shares closed lower due to disappointing Golden Week tourism data and growing Middle Eastern tensions. Meanwhile, Hong Kong shares closed higher despite bad-weather warnings and geopolitical uncertainties. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 closed slightly lower due to losses in electronics and energy stocks.
In Europe, stocks fell as investors considered the potential geopolitical and economic consequences of the escalating violence in the Middle East. Meanwhile, London's FTSE 100 blue-chip index finished Monday's trading session nearly flat.