Asian equities slump as S&P’s downgrades 9 euro-zone nations

16 Jan 2012 Evaluate

Equities across the Asian region got thrashed on first day of the fresh week amid unrelenting risk aversion by investors after global ratings agency S&P's downgraded nine nations in the European region over the weekend, including France and Austria which lost the coveted AAA rating, escalating worries over the onerous Euro-zone debt crisis. Market participants in the region squared off hefty positions as they feared that the financial trouble in Europe might dampen the global economic growth and sap appetite for riskier asset classes like equities and commodities. Sentiments also got undermined by over the weekend decline in US markets where Euro-zone woes remained the prime concern overshadowing the encouraging reports, which showed US consumer sentiment climbed more than forecasted in January to the highest level in eight months.

The benchmark in South Korea was bearing the maximum brunt of selling pressure as it plunged by around one and a half a percent on the back of mass ratings downgrades in Europe by S&P's while the Japanese shares too sank by similar losses as export oriented stocks receded after yen touched a fresh 11-year high against the euro. The Chinese stocks traded with moderate cuts of around half a percent a day ahead of announcing fourth-quarter GDP numbers, along with December industrial output, investment and retail sales reading.

Shanghai Composite declined 12.60 points or 0.56% to 2,231.98, Hang Seng sank 169.61 points or 0.88% to 19,034.81, Jakarta Composite slipped 26.79 points or 0.68% to 3,908.54, Nikkei 225 plummeted 125.06 points or 1.47% to 8,374.96, Straits Times plunged 31.92 points or 1.14% to 2,759.62, Seoul Composite shaved-off 28.10 points or 1.50% to 1,847.58 and Taiwan Weighted slumped 80.89 points or 1.13% to 7,100.65.

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