Oil climbed on Monday as stalled US-Iran peace talks prolonged the disruption of Middle East energy exports, while renewed excitement about artificial intelligence spending drove up chip stocks at the beginning of a week where war, central banks and tech earnings are in focus.

In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index inched down one point to 25,976 at the opening of trading.

The China enterprises index climbed 12 points, or 0.1 percent, to 8,788 while the tech index was 27 points, or 0.6 percent, up at 4,929.

Across the border, the Shanghai Composite Index opened down five points, or 0.1 percent, at 4,074.

The Shenzhen Component Index was up 19 points, or 0.1 percent, at 14,960 while the ChiNext Index was up 10 points, or 0.3 percent, at 3,677.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei climbed to a record high of 60,596 at one point before noon after opening up 164 points, or 0.28 percent, at 59,880, underpinned by optimism over corporate earnings and a glimmer of hope after a report on a new proposal to end the Middle East conflict.

In Seoul, the Korea Composite Stock Price Index also, like the Nikkei, hit a record high of 6,591 at one point before midday after opening up almost 58 points, or 0.9 percent, at 6,533 as chipmakers tracked a rally in US peers.

While a ceasefire has frozen most ⁠fighting in the war triggered by US-Israeli attacks on Iran two months ago, markets are focused on the shuttered ⁠Strait of Hormuz, where barely any ships carrying oil and gas have transited.

Goldman Sachs analysts lifted year-end oil price forecasts sharply from US$80 to US$90 a ⁠barrel for Brent, and even that rests on normalisation of Gulf exports by the end of June.

"Non-linear price increases are likely if inventories drop to critically low levels, which we have not seen in the last few decades," they warned in a note.

US President Donald Trump cancelled a trip to Islamabad by his envoys for talks on the weekend, but investors were buoyed slightly by an Axios report saying Iran wants to ⁠make a deal on opening the strait first and postpone nuclear talks until later. (Reuters/Xinhua)


Edited by Tony Sabine