Brent, WTI, Nikkei 225, Hang Seng index, oil

Markets in the Asia-Pacific region began the first full trading week of 2026 on a more positive note after the United States announced it attacked Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro over the weekend. Oil prices fell slightly as markets weighed the potential impact of geopolitical tensions.

U.S. authorities said Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were flown to New York following the operation and charged with narcoterrorism conspiracy and other crimes. An indictment says drug trafficking had “enriched and consolidated Venezuela’s political and military elite.”

Oil prices fell after the escalation involving the oil-rich country. Brent crude price slipped more than 1% earlier before paring losses, and were last trading down 0.25%, while the West Texas Intermediate Crude prices fell 0.4%.

Venezuela, a founding member of OPEC, holds the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves, at 303 billion barrels, or about 17% of the world’s total, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Spot gold prices rose more than 1% to $4,383.99.

The reference of Japan Nikkei 225 The index jumped 2.26% in its first trading session of the year, while the Topix index added 1.42% to reach a record high. Defense sector stocks were among the index’s biggest gainers, with Kawasaki Heavy Industries And Mitsubishi Heavy Industries adding 5.7% and 6.4% respectively.

South Korea’s Kospi index climbed 2.19% to a record high of 4,420.92, and the small-cap Kosdaq added 0.2%. Shares of defense giant Hanwha Aerospace jumped 4%, while those of Poongsan rose 3%.

Australia’s ASX/S&P 200 was trading flat.

that of Hong Kong Hang Seng Index was poised to open higher, with its futures contract trading at 26,442, versus the index’s previous close of 26,338.47.

U.S. stock futures were flat in early Asian hours.

Friday in the United States, the first trading day of 2026, the S&P500 closed slightly higher as gains in semiconductor names kept the index afloat.

The benchmark index closed 0.19% higher at 6,858.47, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.03% to end at 23,235.63. Both had been solidly positive earlier in the day, with the tech-heavy S&P 500 and Nasdaq trading up 0.7% and 1.5%, respectively, at their highs.

THE Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 319.10 points, or 0.66%, to 48,382.39.

— CNBC’s Liz Napolitano, Fred Imbert and Sean Conlon contributed to this report.