Global markets fall as traders assess the consequences of the U.S. attack on Iran.

Gate News bot news, The New York Times reported that Asian stock markets edged lower on Monday, oil prices rose, reflecting investors' concerns about the economic impact of the U.S. weekend attacks on three nuclear facilities in Iran.

The Standard & Poor's 500 Index futures contract (which reflects the index's movement at the opening of the New York market) fell by about 0.3%. The price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil, the U.S. benchmark, rose by about 3%. Traditional safe-haven asset gold also rose.

After the Iran attack, Asian stock markets opened first but then fell. The benchmark stock indices in Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea also declined.

Traders are waiting for clearer signs to understand whether the Middle East conflict will escalate—especially whether Iran will take any action to disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Strait of Hormuz is an important transit point for global oil supply. Last year, about 20 million barrels of oil were transported through this waterway daily, accounting for approximately 20% of the global total supply. Most of this oil is sent to Asia. China is the largest buyer of Iranian oil.

Takahide Kiuchi, an executive economist at Nomura Research Institute, stated that the current oil price, hovering around $76 per barrel, is expected to surpass $80. However, if the risk of Iran blocking the Strait of Hormuz intensifies, oil prices will further pump. In this scenario, "the Japanese economy may face downside risks exceeding the Trump tariffs," he said.

Other analysts expect that the consequences of the U.S. attack will be relatively short-lived. Daniel Hynes, senior commodities strategist at ANZ Research, stated that the oil market is better equipped to handle shocks than in the past due to exporters having idle capacity. Hynes mentioned that geopolitical events involving oil-producing countries could have a significant impact on the oil market, but in recent years, as risks have eased, oil prices tend to rebound quickly.

Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives stated that the stock market may be more volatile this week. However, he noted that the market may believe that the Iranian threat "has disappeared." In this case, he said, "the worst period is over."