Asian stocks tumble after US markets sharply sell-off; Chinese shares lead losses (2024)

Asian shares closed lower on Friday, taking cues from U.S. indexes which extended sharp losses in the last session.

Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 2.32 percent, or 508.24 points, to close at 21,382.62 with losses seen in most sectors. Automakers, financials, manufacturers and technology stocks ended the session firmly in negative territory. Among blue chips, Toyota sank 1.14 percent, Fanuc Manufacturing lost 3.98 percent and Fast Retailing was down 3.69 percent at the end of the day.

The Nikkei 225 was in correction territory, having declined around 12 percent from its 52-week high as of Friday morning.

Across the Korean Strait, the Kospi lost 1.82 percent to finish at 2,363.77, with most sectors closing the day in negative territory.

Tech heavyweight Samsung Electronics was down 2.83 percent on the day. The stock was also not helped by news on Thursday that prosecutors had conducted a search on the company's offices as part of a probe into previous South Korean president Lee Myung-bak, Reuters said, citing Yonhap News Agency.

Down Under, the declined 0.89 percent to close at 5,838, with all sectors but gold producers in the red. The energy sector led losses, falling 2.14 percent, while the heavily weighted financials sub-index was down 0.51 percent.

Greater China markets were similarly downbeat. Hong Kong's lost 2.99 percent by 3:04 p.m. HK/SIN, but was off its session lows. Before the market close, heavily-weighted financials HSBC and China Construction Bank lost 0.87 percent and 4.33 percent, respectively.

Property developers also saw significant declines: China Evergrande Group dropped 5.79 percent and Country Garden fell 6.12 percent by 3:05 p.m. HK/SIN. Tech giant Tencent traded lower by 2.43 percent.

On the mainland, the fell 4.02 percent to close at 3,130.93 and the Shenzhen composite sank 3.19 percent to end at 1,679.26. The blue chip CSI 300 index fell 4.26 percent by the end of the day.

Major mainland insurers underperformed the broader market, with Ping An Insurance Group losing 6.58 percent. China Life Insurance closed down 6.16 percent.

The People's Bank of China on Friday announced it released nearly 2 trillion yuan ($316.28 billion) in liquidity to meet cash demand ahead of the Lunar New Year, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile, data released on Friday showed the consumer price index rose 1.5 percent in January compared to one year ago, which was in line with forecasts, Reuters said. Meanwhile, the producer price index rose 4.3 percent on year, a touch below the 4.4 percent projected in a Reuters poll.

The declines in Asia mirrored the showing from U.S. stocks, which plummeted once again on Thursday as investors worried about higher U.S. bond yields.

"From the professional investment community, you've seen some capitulation. From the retail community, you've seen almost none. What scares us the most about the markets going forward is that you've had this large inflow of money coming from retail and very little of it has exited the market so far," Eric Liu, head of research at Vanda Research, told CNBC's "Squawk Box."

The sell-off stateside came after the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note neared its highest levels in four years after the Bank of England indicated the need for interest rates to rise more and sooner than earlier forecast.

The Dow Jones industrial average moved into correction territory after falling 1,032.89 points, or 4.15 percent, to close at 23,860.46.

Meanwhile, the yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note last stood at 2.83 percent after rising as high as 2.88 percent on Thursday.

The most recent stock market declines are a continuation of the sell-off that began last Friday when U.S. bond yields rose on the back of a better-than-expected jobs print.

Investors stateside also kept an eye on a possible government shutdown. The U.S. Senate passed a funding bill early on Friday, although that came after government funding lapsed at midnight U.S. hours.

In currencies, the dollar index, which measures the U.S. currency against a basket of six rivals, was mostly steady at 90.219 at 2:49 p.m. HK/SIN.

Against the yen, the greenback edged up to trade at 108.97.

On the commodities front, oil prices extended losses after declining for the fifth consecutive day on Thursday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures lost 1.01 percent to trade at $60.53 per barrel. Brent crude futures slid 0.68 percent to trade at $64.37.

— CNBC's Fred Imbert contributed to this report.

Asian stocks tumble after US markets sharply sell-off; Chinese shares lead losses (2024)

FAQs

Why are Chinese stocks down? ›

Chinese stock indexes touched multi-year lows in February. The selloff was a culmination of months of frustration over the sputtering economy and a lack of forceful policy stimulus measures.

Why is the US stock market falling? ›

"The markets are dealing with a couple things - inflation is hotter than most expect, rate cut expectations are coming down and we've had a ramp higher in geopolitical tensions, particularly out of the Middle East," said Anthony Saglimbene, chief market strategist at Ameriprise Financial in Troy, Michigan.

Why is the S&P going down? ›

The S&P 500 is down for three straight weeks as investors remain focused on the outlook for inflation, interest rates, and Federal Reserve policy, with key economic data due this week that could shift the needle on rate expectations.

Does Asian stock market affect us? ›

“Ultimately what happens in China may have a rebound effect on the U.S., and the U.S. certainly is not an island in this global economy,” Prasad said. Many big Chinese companies are listed on American stock exchanges too, and may also be in your 401(k).

Has the China market bottomed? ›

Bottom Line

Despite recent challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, a real estate crisis, and a sluggish economy leading to a significant underperformance in Chinese equities over the past few years, there are indications that the Chinese market may be bottoming out.

Is it good time to invest in China stocks? ›

At Coutts we're currently neutral on Chinese stocks. This is because of structural challenges sitting behind China's stock market drop, and the state intervening in markets to spend excess cash from a huge trade surplus. For us, this doesn't represent a very solid foundation on which to grow.

At what age should you get out of the stock market? ›

There are no set ages to get into or to get out of the stock market. While older clients may want to reduce their investing risk as they age, this doesn't necessarily mean they should be totally out of the stock market.

Should I pull my money out of the stock market? ›

Key Takeaways. While holding or moving to cash might feel good mentally and help avoid short-term stock market volatility, it is unlikely to be wise over the long term. Once you cash out a stock that's dropped in price, you move from a paper loss to an actual loss.

What is the largest decline in US stock market history? ›

Largest daily percentage losses
RankDateChange
%
11987-10-19−22.61
22020-03-16−12.93
31929-10-28−12.82
17 more rows

What is the stock market outlook for 2024? ›

The US stock market enjoyed a strong first quarter in 2024, advancing 10%. But inflation was stickier than some expected. In fact, the March CPI number that came out this morning was hotter than expected, too. And that's leading many to question when the Federal Reserve will begin cutting interest rates.

Where will S and P be in 5 years? ›

S&P 500 could hit 6,500 by end-2025, says Capital Economics.

What is the stock market expected to do in 2024? ›

Fortunately, analysts see positive earnings and revenue growth for all eleven market sectors this year. The healthcare sector is expected to generate a market-leading 17.8% earnings growth in 2024, while the information technology sector is expected to lead the way with 9.3% revenue growth.

How much of the US stock market is owned by China? ›

The TIC data suggest Chinese investors held $245 billion in equity securities and $24 billion in debt securities issued by US corporations, plus another $1.2 trillion in US government securities at the end of September 2020.

Why are Chinese stocks up so much? ›

A steady stream of policy support — from a cut to the mortgage reference rate to more liquidity and crackdown on quants — is stacking up, even though some investors decry the lack of a big-bang stimulus. The CSI 300 Index of mainland shares has gained about 13% since a five-year low reached Feb. 2.

Who owns Chinese stocks? ›

Institutional investors play a dominant role in U.S. markets, while Chinese markets are dominated by retail investors. Chinese markets are primarily owned by Chinese investors while U.S. markets have a mix of local and international investors.

What is going on with the Chinese economy? ›

China's economy is at a turning point. An old economic model underpinned by heavy investment in infrastructure and real estate is crumbling. Growth is slowing and prices are falling, raising the specter of a Japan-style slide into stagnation.

Are China stocks recovering? ›

The rebound is promising, soothing three years of losses when the index tumbled from its all-time high in February 2021. In all, almost US$10 trillion have been erased from Chinese stocks listed at home and overseas over the past three years.

Is China in trouble for the economy? ›

Its economy has become weighed down by spiraling government and commercial debt, a ticking time bomb that finance experts fear could have reverberating effects across the global economy. That, in turn, is fueling economic unease internally, dampening consumer spending as well as hiring and business investment.

What are the problems with investing in China? ›

Companies are being raided and employees detained. The CCP is clearly more interested in control than growth. This has directly influenced foreign investment because of Chinese efforts to close and otherwise harass companies that undertake due diligence services for foreign investors.

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