All the Asian equity indices are trading down in the early deals on Wednesday, taking their cue from a dip on Wall Street after the abrupt departure of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Concern over tariff hikes announced by President Donald Trump was weighing on sentiments. Japan’s Nikkei share average slid and looked set to snap a four-day winning streak amid fears of rising US protectionism after President Donald Trump fired his secretary of state and was reportedly eyeing hefty tariffs on Chinese imports. Meanwhile, China and Hong Kong stocks fell as US protectionism fears overshadowed strong China factory and investment data.
Nikkei 225 dropped 208.02 points or 0.95% to 21,760.08, Hang Seng dipped 395.14 points or 1.25% to 31,206.31, Taiwan Weighted declined 69.89 points or 0.63% to 11,025.74, Straits Times contracted 18.96 points or 0.53% to 3,534.77, Jakarta Composite slipped 33.85 points or 0.53% to 6,379.00, Shanghai Composite decreased 19.51 points or 0.59% to 3,290.72, KOSPI Index tumbled 9.88 points or 0.4% to 2,484.61, and FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI down by 6.2 points or 0.33% to 1,857.83.
