By Ronnie Harui
Asian equities fell Monday as continued hostilities in the Middle East stoke fears that a drawn-out war could cause an inflationary shock and force central banks worldwide to raise interest rates.
Japan's Nikkei Stock Average dropped 4.1%, South Korea's Kospi shed 5.5%, and Singapore's FTSE Straits Times Index lost 1.9%. Markets are increasingly worried that lasting disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane for the world's oil and gas supplies, could spill over to other commodities, affecting industries from agriculture to aviation.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 22, 2026 23:09 ET (03:09 GMT)
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