Oil prices fell back Monday (January 5, 2026) 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 on Friday (January 2) 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.
Follow the U.S.-Venezuela tensions LIVE Updates on January 5, 2025
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 Mr. 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 on Monday (January 5), the U.S. benchmark crude oil rose slightly. But it later traded 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 manoeuvred to account for the uncertainty brought on by President Donald Trump’s unusual military operation and his insistence that the U.S. will be running Venezuela following Mr. 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 (January 5).
“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 on Friday (January 2) 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 on Monday (January 5), 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 (January 2), 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%, 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.
Published – January 05, 2026 05:34 pm IST
