Market Overview

Following a tumultuous session on Wall Street, major stock indices across the Asia-Pacific region experienced a downturn on Tuesday. This decline comes in the wake of the Dow Jones' significant plunge, shedding over 1,000 points amidst growing concerns over uncertain tariff policies and their potential to steer the US economy towards a recession.

Japan's Economic Pulse

Investors also turned their attention to Japan's latest GDP figures, which revealed a 0.6% quarterly expansion in the fourth quarter of 2024. However, the annualized growth rate saw a slight revision from 0.7% down to 0.6%, adding another layer of complexity to the regional economic outlook.

Regional Market Performance

At 7:09 am CET, Japan's Nikkei 225 had decreased by 0.73%, while South Korea's Kospi fell by 1.18%. The Hong Kong Hang Seng index wasn't spared, losing 0.88% of its value. In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite edged down by 0.23%, and the Shenzhen Composite saw a 0.29% reduction. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 closed the day 0.91% lower.

Currency Movements

Amidst these market fluctuations, the dollar remained stable against the yen, trading at 147.3425 at the same time.