Black Monday At BSE And NIFTY Today? Asian Stock Markets In Downward Spiral
India’s benchmark indices, the Sensex and Nifty 50, are poised to open sharply lower on April 7th, mirroring global selling pressure. Investors continue withdrawing from equities and seeking refuge in safer assets after US President Donald Trump imposed retaliatory tariffs, fuelling fears of a protracted trade war and heightening geopolitical and economic uncertainty.
Asian Markets Slump
Asian markets plunged on Monday, with the MSCI Asia ex‑Japan index tumbling 6.5 per cent. Recession concerns in the United States intensified following tougher‑than‑expected tariffs. Sentiment was further undermined by China’s retaliatory levies on American imports.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 sank as much as 8.8 per cent to a 1.5‑year low, trading 7.3 per cent lower overall, with every constituent in negative territory. The broader Topix index fell 8 per cent. Trading in Japanese futures was temporarily halted after circuit breakers were triggered.
In China, the CSI 300 blue‑chip index dropped 4.5 per cent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index slumped 8 per cent in early trade. South Korea’s Kospi fell more than 4 per cent and the Kosdaq slipped over 3 per cent. Singapore’s benchmark index opened 7 per cent lower, on track for its worst single‑day performance since March 2020, according to Reuters.
Malaysian equities declined more than 4 per cent to a 16‑month low, and Taiwan’s market plunged nearly 10 per cent on its first trading session following the latest US tariff announcement.
Taiwan’s main index plunged nearly 10 per cent on its first trading day since Thursday, prompting regulators to curb short‑selling.
Global Markets Reel As Losses Mount
According to Reuters, S&P 500 futures slid 3.1 per cent in volatile trade, while Nasdaq futures dived 4.0 per cent, compounding last week’s nearly US $6 trillion in market losses.
The sell‑off extended to Europe, with EURO STOXX 50 futures down 3.0 per cent, FTSE futures off 2.7 per cent and DAX futures losing 3.5 per cent.
A gloomier global growth outlook weighed heavily on oil. Brent crude fell US $1.35 to $64.23 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate dropped $1.40 to $60.60 per barrel.
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