{"id":72851,"date":"2026-10-11T21:38:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T01:38:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/asian-markets-brace-for-volatility-amid-north-korean-missile-tests-and-oil-price-slump\/72851\/"},"modified":"2026-10-11T21:38:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T01:38:14","slug":"asian-markets-brace-for-volatility-amid-north-korean-missile-tests-and-oil-price-slump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/asian-markets-brace-for-volatility-amid-north-korean-missile-tests-and-oil-price-slump\/72851\/","title":{"rendered":"Asian Markets Brace for Volatility Amid North Korean Missile Tests and Oil Price Slump"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>North Korea launched at least two suspected ballistic missiles<\/strong> on Monday morning, both of which are believed to have fallen into the Sea of Japan outside of Japan\u2019s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Brent and WTI crude futures fell over $2\/bbl<\/strong> to trade near <strong>$103.40<\/strong> and <strong>$90.14<\/strong> respectively, pressured by reports of a potential Russia-Ukraine energy ceasefire and increased Russian diesel supply.<\/li>\n<li><strong>China\u2019s PBOC fixed the Yuan reference rate at 6.7313<\/strong>, the strongest level since February 2023, while injecting <strong>50 billion yuan<\/strong> into the financial system via 7-day reverse repos.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Chinese chipmaker CXMT announced a major breakthrough<\/strong> in &quot;4F square&quot; DRAM design, a technology also being pursued by global leaders Samsung and SK Hynix to increase memory density.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Medco Energi (<a href=\"\/stock\/MEDC\">MEDC<\/a>) agreed to acquire a 10% stake<\/strong> in four Indonesian gas blocks from Italy\u2019s Eni (<a href=\"\/stock\/ENI\">ENI<\/a>), expanding its presence in the Kutai Basin.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Geopolitical Tensions Rise in East Asia<\/h2>\n<p><strong>North Korea<\/strong> conducted its fourth missile test in a month on Monday, firing at least two suspected ballistic missiles from the Pyongyang region toward the East Sea. The <strong>Japan Coast Guard<\/strong> and South Korean military confirmed the launches, though initial assessments indicate the projectiles landed outside <strong>Japan\u2019s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)<\/strong>, mitigating immediate escalatory fears. <em>Market observers noted that while such tests typically trigger brief safe-haven bids in the yen and <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/metal\/gold\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"gold price today\">gold<\/a>, the lack of territorial overflight has kept the broader market reaction contained.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Energy Markets Retreat on Supply Optimism<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Crude <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/energy\/crude-oil\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"12\" title=\"Crude oil\">oil prices<\/a><\/strong> experienced a sharp decline as investors weighed a potential &quot;energy ceasefire&quot; between Russia and Ukraine. <strong>Brent crude<\/strong> fell 1.2% to <strong>$103.40 per barrel<\/strong>, while <strong>WTI<\/strong> slipped toward <strong>$90.14<\/strong> following reports that <strong>Russia<\/strong> would immediately supply over 300,000 tons of diesel to global markets. This supply influx, supported by a temporary U.S. Treasury sanctions exemption, is expected to relieve global fuel constraints that have kept prices elevated throughout the year.<\/p>\n<h2>China Strengthens Yuan Amid Liquidity Injection<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>People\u2019s Bank of China (PBOC)<\/strong> signaled its intent to support the local currency by fixing the <strong>Yuan midpoint at 6.7313<\/strong> against the U.S. Dollar, its highest level in over 20 months. Simultaneously, the central bank maintained its accommodative stance by injecting <strong>50 billion yuan<\/strong> through 7-day reverse repos at an unchanged rate of 1.40%. <em>This dual approach aims to stabilize the exchange rate while ensuring sufficient liquidity for domestic markets facing property sector headwinds.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Corporate and Currency Developments<\/h2>\n<p>In the technology sector, Chinese memory giant <strong>CXMT<\/strong> reported &quot;key progress&quot; in a proprietary transistor design that could rival the storage density of products from Samsung (<a href=\"\/stock\/005930\">005930<\/a>) and SK Hynix (<a href=\"\/stock\/000660\">000660<\/a>). The company plans to roll out server-memory products based on this &quot;4F square&quot; architecture by the end of 2026.<\/p>\n<p>In regional currency markets, the <strong>South Korean Won<\/strong> appreciated to its highest level against the dollar since October 2024, trading near <strong>1,338 KRW<\/strong>, bolstered by a record current-account surplus. Meanwhile, the <strong>Indian Rupee<\/strong> showed signs of recovery in the NDF market, with the 1-month USD\/INR contract signaling an opening stronger than <strong>96.00<\/strong> after hitting recent record lows.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways North Korea launched at least two suspected ballistic missiles on Monday morning, both of which are believed to 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