Taiwan, SKo markets slightly up; mixed in China

Asian stocks were mixed Friday and oil prices surged after an Iranian general was killed by US forces in Iraq.

News that Gen. Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, was killed in an air attack at the Baghdad international airport prompted expectations of Iranian retaliation against US and Israeli targets.

The Shanghai Composite Index shed 0.3% to 3,076.73 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.2% to 28,482.88.

Taiwan and Singapore also declined.

Seoul's Kospi was off less than 0.1% at 2,173.20.

Markets in Malaysia and Indonesia, both oil producers, gained.

There was no immediate indication how Iran would respond to Soleimani's death, but Tehran has seized oil tankers and shot down a US military drone.

Washington blames Iran for attacks on tankers and a September assault on Saudi Arabia’s oil industry that temporarily cut its production by half.

Brent crude, used to price international oils, was up 2.14 US dollars at 68.39 US dollars per barrel in London after temporarily jumping nearly 3 US dollars.

The contract gained 25 cents on Thursday to close at 66.25 US dollars.

Benchmark US crude was up 1.87 US dollars at 63.05 US dollars per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

It lost 12 cents the previous day to close at 61.18 US dollars.