Asian markets began the week on a firmer footing after Brent crude fell 2% on hopes Saudi Arabia could restore flows through its East-West pipeline following a Houthi attack on the capital over the weekend. Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, said crude oil, cargo and liquefied natural gas volumes over the past two weeks exceeded any point in the previous six months, although vessel transponders being switched off made the assessment difficult to verify. Shipping data showed 12 commodity vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz over Saturday and Sunday, down from 35 the prior weekend. Kpler data showed Saudi exports had recovered to just over 4 million barrels per day in September, from 2.4 million bpd in August, while JPMorgan said satellite data pointed to average Saudi oil flows through the strait of 2.9 million bpd over six days, versus 700,000 bpd in August. The oil decline supported equities, with South Korea’s technology sector gaining more than 1%, Nasdaq futures up 0.6% and S&P 500 futures 0.4%. European futures edged higher despite Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s mainstream conservative party suffering its worst election results since 1949. The euro was steady at $1.1484, while the dollar traded below 157 yen amid concern the Bank of Japan could intervene after reported rate checks. US President Donald Trump’s attendance at the United Nations General Assembly and a planned Thursday meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping add diplomatic focus to the week. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng ended New York talks with the US proposing an AI safety notification mechanism.