This is CNBC’s live blog covering Asia-Pacific markets.
Asia-Pacific markets plunged Monday ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s fresh round of tariffs expected later in the week.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 was down 3.67%, after having plunged over 4%, while the broader Topix index lost 2.33%.
Over in South Korea, the Kospi index fell 2.29% while the small-cap Kosdaq declined 1.55%.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was down 1.62%.
Mainland China’s CSI 300 started the day 0.28% lower while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 0.78%.
China’s NBS Manufacturing PMI for March came in at 50.5, in line with predictions by economists polled by Reuters slightly higher than 50.2 reading in the previous month.
U.S. futures slipped as investors await clarity on Trump’s tariff plans.
Stocks had sold off sharply last Friday, amid growing uncertainty on U.S. trade policy and a bleak inflation outlook.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 715.80 points, or 1.69%, at 41,583.90. The S&P 500 shed 1.97% to 5,580.94, ending the week down for the fifth time in the last six weeks. The Nasdaq Composite plunged 2.7% to settle at 17,322.99.
Shares of several technology giants dropped, putting pressure on the broader market. Google-parent Alphabet lost 4.9%, while Meta and Amazon each shed 4.3%.
— CNBC’s Pia Singh and Sarah Min contributed to this report.
Japan’s February factory output growth tops expectations; retail sales miss estimates
Japan’s factory output rose 2.5% in February, reversing a decline in the previous month, data from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry data showed on Monday.
This was higher than the 2.3% rise estimated by Reuters, with output driven by production machinery and electronics parts.
Separately, data released Monday showed a 1.4% rise in Japan’s retail sales in February from a year earlier.
The reading was below less than the 2% rise forecast by Reuters and the 4.4% increase seen in the January.
— Amala Balakrishner
Renesas Electronics shares extend slide, drop more than 9%
Shares of Renesas Electronics plunged as much as 9.38% in early trade on Monday, leading losses in Japan’s Nikkei 225 benchmark.
The semiconductor manufacturing company has been trading in negative territory for two straight sessions, following comments from CEO Hidetoshi .
Shibata reportedly said that layoffs and a pay freeze were necessary responses to cope with the prolonged slump in the global semiconductor market.
— Amala Balakrishner
South Korea retail sales rise to six-month high in February
South Korea’s retail sales rose 1.5% on a seasonally adjusted basis in February, government data released Monday showed.
That is it’s highest reading since August 2024 and follows a 0.7% fall in the previous month.
— Amala Balakrishner
Japan’s Nikkei 225 plunges over 4% as Trump tariffs fuel risk-off mood
Japanese stocks slumped Monday as worries over U.S. President Donald Trump’s fresh round of tariffs fueled a wider sell-off in Asia markets.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 was down 4.14% as of 9.22 a.m. local time. The small-cap Kosdaq was down 3.7%
Losses in the Nikkei, which fell below 36,000 for then first time since March 11, were led by the energy, utilities and healthcare sectors, data from LSEG shows.
Among the worst performing stocks was Advantest Corp which plunged 5.51%, Tokyo Electron which lost 5.2% and Fujikura which fell 5.17%.
Meanwhile, the broad-based Topix index was down 3.29%.
— Amala Balakrishner
South Korea’s factory output tops expectations with 7% year on year jump in February
South Korea’s industrial production jumped 7% year on year in February, faster than the 2% expected by economists polled by Reuters, after falling 4.7% in the previous month.
On a seasonally adjusted basis, the country’s factory output rose 1% in February from the month earlier, data released by Statistics Korea on Monday showed. This follows a 2.8% expansion in January and an increase of 0.8% expected by Reuters poll.
— Amala Balakrishner
