HONG KONG, Jan 12, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Asian equities gained Monday, and precious metals set new records as investors digested news that the US Justice Department is probing the Federal Reserve, raising fears over US central bank independence. Fed Chair Jerome Powell confirmed the "unprecedented" move late Sunday, which he blasted as part of US President Donald Trump's pressure campaign for another rate cut. Gold surged 1.6 percent to nearly $4,600 an ounce, while silver approached $85 an ounce -- both records -- as investors sought safe havens. The dollar fell about 0.2 percent against major peers, according to Bloomberg. "The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President," Powell said in a statement late Sunday. Powell said the bank received grand jury subpoenas on Friday related to his Senate testimony in June, which had been about a major renovation project of Federal Reserve office buildings. The Fed has indicated it would hold interest rates steady in its closely watched meeting at the end of this month. "The subpoenas mark a clear break in the long-held boundary between politics and monetary policy, a line markets once assumed was untouchable," Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management told AFP. "Investors are not weighing the odds of charges so much as the risk that political pressure has crept into the Fed's decision-making," Innes added. Michael Brown of Pepperstone said the dollar and Treasuries were likely to face headwinds as the probe shakes confidence in US institutions and "by extension, assets". "Both the USD and USTs will now have to price a considerably higher risk premium, and hence are likely to face some headwinds in the short-term, and unimaginably brutal selling pressure if this matter were to progress to criminal charges, or a prosecution," Brown added. It came on the heels of Friday's soft US jobs report showing just 50,000 new positions in December while unemployment slipped to 4.4 percent. Asian markets were up, led by gains in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, Taipei and Manila, tracking Wall Street's record close Friday. Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Sydney were also in the green, while Mumbai, Bangkok and Wellington dipped. Most stock markets have enjoyed a solid start to 2026, with indices in Frankfurt, London, Paris and Seoul hitting record highs last week, largely on optimism for the tech sector and gains in defence sector shares. Oil prices rose, building on their gains last week as protests in Iran continued to stoke geopolitical risk. Trump has warned Tehran of repercussions if demonstrators were harmed, while Iran cautioned against foreign intervention. On Sunday evening, Trump said he was considering potential military action against Iran following reports of a violent crackdown leading to the deaths of hundreds of people in the country. "We're looking at it very seriously," he told reporters on Air Force One. "The military is looking at it, and we're looking at some very strong options. We'll make a determination," he said. - Key figures at around 0710 GMT - Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 1.3 percent at 26,559.00 Shanghai - Composite: UP 1.1 percent at 4,165.29 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: (closed for holiday) Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1670 from $1.1635 on Friday Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3437 from $1.3407 Dollar/yen: UP at 158.00 yen from 157.88 yen Euro/pound: UP at 86.85 pence from 86.78 pence West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.2 percent at $59.26 per barrel Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.3 at $63.51 per barrel London - FTSE 100: UP 0.8 percent at 10,124.60 (close) New York - Dow: UP 0.5 percent at 49,504.07 points (close)