MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan shed 0.5 percent in short order, and S&P 500 futures lost 0.3 percent.
The US military launched cruise missile strikes ordered by President Donald Trump against a Syrian air base controlled by President Bashar al-Assad's forces in response to a deadly chemical attack in a rebel-held area, a US official said.Also Read: 60 US Missiles Blast Syrian Airbase Used to Launch Chemical Attack
"While President Trump had flagged a response to this week's chemical attack in Syria, the swiftness of the response and the willingness to take action halfway through the Trump-Xi meeting caught markets a little off-guard," said Sean Callow, senior currency strategist at Westpac in Sydney.
"There should be limited market follow-through however, with no indication at this stage that this is the start of a broad-based, sustained US military campaign."Also Read: Here's What Led to Trump's Decision to Attack Assad's Airbase
The yen, a favoured haven in times of stress due to Japan's position as the world's largest creditor nation, climbed across the board. The dollar fell to 110.36, from 110.95 just before news of attacks hit dealing screens.
The dollar was otherwise unscathed, however, as it benefited from flows into safe haven US Treasuries. Against a basket of currencies it was barely lower, while the euro dipped a little to $0.0649.
Also Read: Oil Prices Jump After US Launches Missile Strike in Syria
Yields on 10-year Treasury debt fell a couple of basis points to 2.31 percent, testing a hugely important chart barrier at 2.30 percent.
Spot gold prices zoomed up 0.8 percent to $1,260.50 an ounce and oil caught a bid on concerns the military intervention could impact supplies from the Middle East.
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