On Monday, South Korean stocks experienced an increase, reaching a new record high, following their most significant monthly gain in 28 years, as investors assessed the recent developments concerning the Middle East conflict. U.S. President Trump stated in a post on Truth Social Sunday that the United States would seek to “free” stranded ships impacted by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a situation that has arisen since the onset of the Iran war. The initiative, referred to as “Project Freedom,” is scheduled to commence on Monday, according to Middle East time. Its primary objective is to facilitate the movement of civilian vessels registered in nations not involved in the conflict, allowing them to navigate the disputed waterway and continue their commercial activities without hindrance.

The U.S. Central Command stated, “U.S. military support to Project Freedom will include guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms, and 15,000 service members,” shortly after Trump’s announcement. Oil prices exhibited volatility as investors remained engaged in evaluating President Trump’s “Project Freedom” plan. West Texas Intermediate futures for June delivery increased by 0.98%, reaching $102.92 per barrel during the early hours of Monday. International benchmark Brent crude futures for July increased by 1.07%, reaching $109.31 per barrel. Other Asia-Pacific indexes exhibited a predominantly upward trend. The Kospi index concluded Monday’s trading day with an increase of 5.12%, reaching a level of 6,936.99.

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix experienced significant intraday gains, increasing by 5.44% and 12.52% respectively, driven by favorable sentiment in the wake of U.S. technology earnings reports. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 exhibited the most significant underperformance in Monday’s trading session, retreating by 0.37% to close at 8,697.10. In the final hour of afternoon trading, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index experienced an increase of 1.26%, whereas India’s Nifty 50 saw a rise of 0.44%. Japanese and Chinese markets were closed due to a public holiday.

U.S. stock futures exhibited a predominantly upward trend early Monday. S&P 500 futures increased by 0.11%, while Nasdaq 100 futures rose by 0.33%. Futures associated with the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined by 48 points, representing a decrease of approximately 0.1%. On Friday, both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite achieved new all-time intraday and closing highs. The broad market index experienced an increase of 0.29%, whereas the technology-focused Nasdaq saw a rise of 0.89%. The Dow diverged from the prevailing trend, declining by 152.87 points, equivalent to a decrease of 0.31%.