Oil Prices Fall, Asian Shares Rally    01/05 05:22

   Oil prices fell back Monday while the prices of precious metals surged as 
markets reacted calmly to the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas 
Maduro in a weekend raid.

   BANGKOK (AP) -- Oil prices fell back Monday while the prices of precious 
metals surged as markets reacted calmly to the U.S. capture of Venezuelan 
President Nicolas Maduro in a weekend raid.

   Asian shares rallied on heavy buying of tech-related stocks after modest 
gains Friday on Wall Street. The future for the S&P 500 was up 0.2% while that 
for the Dow Jones Industrial Average was virtually unchanged.

   In early European trading, Germany's DAX was up 0.8% at 24,728.94, while the 
CAC 40 in Paris picked up 0.3% to 8,216.98. Britain's FTSE 100 edged 0.2% 
higher, to 9,968.71.

   "While the capture of Venezuelan president Maduro by American forces has 
dominated headlines, financial markets seem unperturbed," Thomas Mathews of 
Capital Economics said in a report. "We agree with the implicit view that the 
near-term economic and financial implications are minor."

   Shortly after trading began Monday, U.S. benchmark crude oil rose slightly. 
But it later was trading 36 cents lower at $56.96 per barrel. Brent crude, the 
international standard, gave up 34 cents to $60.41 per barrel.

   After years of neglect and international sanctions, Venezuela's oil industry 
is in disrepair. It could take years and major investments before production 
can increase dramatically. But some analysts expect its current output of about 
1.1 million barrels a day could double or triple fairly quickly.

   With oil levels already plentiful, crude already was trading near its lowest 
level in about six months.

   In any case, the U.S. move rippled through financial markets as traders 
maneuvered to account for the uncertainty brought on President Donald Trump's 
unusual military operation and his insistence that the U.S. will be running 
Venezuela following its Maduro's ouster.

   The price of gold rose 2.7% and silver jumped 6.6%.

   Such assets are often considered safe havens in times of geopolitical 
turmoil.

   "Investors are happy to own risk, but they want insurance in the drawer. 
This is confidence with a hedge, not euphoria," Stephen Innes of SPI Asset 
Management said in a commentary.

   Share prices in Asia shot sharply higher.

   In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 jumped 3% to 51,832.80, its highest close since it 
hit a record of 52,411.34 on Oct. 31. The index closed at a year end high for 
2025 and only resumed trading on Monday.

   "Looking at the environment surrounding the markets, continuously, there are 
various risk factors. We must keep an eye on geopolitical risks in Ukraine, the 
Middle East and East Asia, the U.S.-China trade war, monetary policies in other 
countries and their development, and corporate performance trends in Japan," 
Hiromi Yamaji, CEO of the Japan Exchange Group, said in the market's 
traditional New Year opening ceremony.

   South Korea's Kospi surged 3.4% to 4,457.52, a record. It also ended Friday 
with a record high close.

   Australia's S&P/ASX 200 closed flat at 8,728.60, while Taiwan's benchmark 
climbed 2.6%.

   In other trading early Monday, the dollar rose to 156.88 Japanese yen from 
156.82 yen. The euro slipped to $1.1680 from $1.1726.

   This week is the first full week of the new year. It will bring several 
closely watched U.S. economic updates, some of the last big updates the Fed 
will see before its next meeting at the end of January.

   On the agenda are private reports on the status of the services sector, 
which is the largest part of the U.S. economy, along with consumer sentiment. 
Government reports on the job market will also be released. The hope is they'll 
help paint a clearer picture of how various parts of the U.S. economy closed 
out 2025 and where it might be headed in 2026.

   On Friday, U.S. stocks eked out small gains to kick off the new year.

   The S&P 500 rose 0.2% and the Dow rose 0.7%. The Nasdaq composite fell less 
than 0.1%, was weighed down by a 2.2% loss for Microsoft and a 2.6% decline for 
Tesla, after it reported falling sales for a 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 on the stock 
market's direction. That includes sometimes pushing the market up and down from 
hour to hour.