All the Asian equity benchmarks are trading in red in the early deals on Monday following the mixed cues from Wall Street Friday as investors worried about the impact of US tariffs on global trade, while the euro fluctuated after Italian exit polls pointed to a hung parliament. Japan’s Nikkei share average extended losses into a fourth day as concerns over a global trade war dented sentiments, with steelmakers, automakers and shipping companies underperforming the market. Meanwhile, Hong Kong stocks fell across the board to near three-week lows as investors worried a US-led trade war could derail economic momentum around the world, while China kicked off its annual meeting of parliament where few surprises are expected.
Nikkei 225 dropped 132.47 points or 0.63% to 21,049.17, Hang Seng declined 344.74 points or 1.13% to 30,238.71, KOSPI Index slipped 17.36 points or 0.72% to 2,384.80, FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI contracted 14.83 points or 0.8% to 1,841.24, Shanghai Composite dipped 5.31 points or 0.16% to 3,249.22, Jakarta Composite decreased 3.44 points or 0.05% to 6,578.87, Taiwan Weighted decreased 55.27 points or 0.52% to 10,642.90, and Straits Times was down by 25.24 points or 0.73% to 3,453.96.
