Taiwan's TAIEX opened down 17.46 points, or 0.04%, at 45,845.06 on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

Sultan Barakat says Houthi advances along the Red Sea coast — after seizing Mocha, moving into Dhubab and reaching Perim Island at the narrowest point of the Bab al‑Mandeb — have changed the strategic geometry and given the group unprecedented leverage over one of the world’s key maritime chokepoints. He warns the latest escalation is not just another phase of Yemen’s civil war or solely an Iranian move against Gulf states; it is simultaneously a contest for control of Yemen, a renewed confrontation with Saudi Arabia and an additional front in the wider Iran‑Israel‑US conflict. Barakat cites misjudgments about Yemen’s force balance, Houthi efforts to improve negotiating leverage and spillover from the Iran‑Israel war as drivers of the escalation.

WTI crude rose 2.82% to $99.33/bbl; Brent crude climbed just over 3% to $104.72/bbl on a renewed short-term rally.