Oil prices fall back after the US capture of Venezuelan leader Maduro
BANGKOK– Oil prices fell on Monday while precious metals prices jumped as markets reacted calmly to the United States’ capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a weekend raid.
Asian stocks rebounded on heavy buying of technology-related stocks after modest gains Friday on Wall Street. The future of the S&The P 500 rose 0.2% while that of the Dow Jones Industrial Average remained virtually unchanged.
In early European trading, Germany’s DAX was up 0.8% at 24,728.94, while the CAC 40 in Paris rose 0.3% to 8,216.98. Britain’s FTSE 100 index edged up 0.2% to 9,968.71.
“While the capture of Venezuelan President Maduro by U.S. forces dominates headlines, financial markets appear unfazed,” Thomas Mathews of Capital Economics said in a report. “We agree with the implicit view that the short-term economic and financial implications are minor.”
Shortly after trading began on Monday, benchmark U.S. crude oil edged higher. But it later traded 36 cents lower at $56.96 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 34 cents to $60.41 a barrel.
After years of neglect and international sanctions, Venezuela’s oil industry is in disrepair. It may take years and major investments before production can increase dramatically. But some analysts expect its current production of about 1.1 million barrels per day could double or triple quite quickly.
With oil levels already plentiful, crude was already trading near its lowest level in about six months.
Regardless, the U.S. decision reverberated through financial markets as traders maneuvered to account for uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s unusual military operation and his insistence that the United States would rule Venezuela after Maduro’s ouster.
The price of gold increased by 2.7% and that of silver by 6.6%.
These assets are often considered safe havens during times of geopolitical unrest.
“Investors are happy to take risks, but they want insurance in their drawer. That’s confidence with a hedge, not euphoria,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary.
Stock prices in Asia rose sharply.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index jumped 3 percent to 51,832.80, its highest level since hitting a record 52,411.34 on Oct. 31. The index closed at a 2025 year-end high and only resumed trading on Monday.
“Looking at the environment surrounding the markets, there are constantly various risk factors. We need to keep an eye on geopolitical risks in Ukraine, the Middle East and East Asia, the trade war between the United States and China, monetary policies in other countries and their development, as well as trends in corporate performance in Japan,” Hiromi Yamaji, CEO of the Japan Exchange Group, said at the traditional New Year’s market opening ceremony.
South Korea’s Kospi jumped 3.4% to 4,457.52, a record. It also ended Friday with a record close.
Australia S&The P/ASX 200 closed at 8,728.60, while Taiwan’s benchmark index rose 2.6 per cent.
In other trading Monday morning, the dollar rose to 156.88 Japanese yen from 156.82 yen. The euro rose from $1.1726 to $1.1680.
This week is the first full week of the new year. He will bring several closely watched U.S. economic updates, some of the last significant updates the Fed will see before its next meeting in late January.
On the agenda are private reports on the state of the services sector, which makes up the largest part of the U.S. economy, as well as consumer confidence. Government labor market reports will also be published. The hope is that they will help paint a clearer picture of how different parts of the U.S. economy closed out 2025 and where it might be headed in 2026.
U.S. stocks made slight gains Friday to kick off the new year.
THE&The P 500 rose 0.2% and the Dow Jones rose 0.7%. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell less than 0.1%, weighed down by a 2.2% loss for Microsoft and a 2.6% decline for Tesla, after announcing a decline in sales for the second year in a row.
Nvidia, Microsoft and Tesla are among the most valuable companies in the world, and their outsized valuations give them more influence over the direction of the stock market. This sometimes involves moving the market up and down from hour to hour.
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Associated Press video journalist Mayuko Ono contributed from Tokyo.
