On March 4, Dubai's stock market fell 4.7% after resuming trading, while the Abu Dhabi market declined 3.5%.
The Thailand Futures Exchange (TFEX) announced the suspension of trading in stock index futures, stock index options, and single stock futures. According to the Stock Exchange of Thailand, SET trading is set to resume normally starting from the afternoon session. Earlier in the day, TFEX had also halted trading in silver online futures.
As of the latest update, the Nikkei 225 index dropped more than 4%, falling below the 54,000-point mark. The Nikkei 225 Volatility Index rose to its highest level since August 2024.
South Korea’s KOSPI index, which triggered a "sidecar" circuit breaker for the second consecutive day, continued its decline, with losses widening to as much as 12% at one point. Over two days, the index has plunged nearly 20%, erasing all gains made in February.
A report from Citibank indicated that analysts expect South Korea’s GDP growth rate for 2026 to decline by 0.45 percentage points if oil prices remain above an average of $82 per barrel this year. The bank’s baseline forecast for Brent crude oil for the remainder of the year is $62 per barrel. Under the same assumptions, the report projects that South Korea’s CPI inflation rate will rise by 0.6 percentage points, while the current account balance is expected to decrease by 2.25 percentage points this year.
In terms of strategy, Cameron Chui, equity strategist at J.P. Morgan Private Bank, commented, "The South Korean stock market has performed strongly this year, so some profit-taking is to be expected. As long as tensions involving Iran remain contained, the pullback represents a buying opportunity."