Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on Monday as investors monitored Middle East tensions after Saudi Arabia closed its critical East-West pipeline, which bypasses the Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi Arabia said on Friday that it had shut down the kingdom's crucial East-West crude oil pipeline as a precautionary measure following multiple attacks by drones launched from Iraq.
By 11:50 am AEST (1:50 am GMT), Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was trading 0.2% higher, while Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 1.4% and South Korea's KOSPI 200 declined 3.1%.
In the United States on Friday, major benchmark averages finished higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1%, the S&P 500 climbed 0.9%, while the Nasdaq gained 1%.
In commodities on Friday, ICE Brent crude eased 2.8% to settle at US$104.61 per barrel, while spot gold added 0.7% to settle at US$4,346.23 per ounce.
In China on Friday, the SSE Composite Index lost 1.2% to 3,888.1, while the CSI 300 fell 0.8% to 4,510.2.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 0.6% to 24,805.6, while India's BSE Sensex eased 0.2% to 74,871.8.
European markets finished higher across the board on Friday. The UK's FTSE 100 added 0.4% to 10,650.4, Germany's DAX gained 0.8% to 25,568.6, while France's CAC 40 finished 0.8% higher at 8,179.8.
