Stocks in Asia declined in Tuesday trade, with Chinese stocks leading losses among the region’s major markets.
The Nikkei 225 let go of 276.11 points, or 1%, to 28,546.18.
Minutes from the Bank of Japan’s December monetary policy meeting showed members agreeing that the central bank would “not hesitate to take additional easing measures if necessary” as it monitors the impact of COVID-19.
Shares of Apple suppliers in Asia were mixed on Tuesday after the Cupertino-based tech giant’s stock stateside rose to an all-time high on Monday.
In Japan, Taiyo Yuden shares gained 1.5% while Murata Manufacturing advanced 0.7%.
The Japanese yen traded at 103.77 per U.S. dollar, weaker than levels below 103.5 against the greenback seen last week.
The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong gave back all of Monday’s gains and then some, tumbling 767.75 points, or 2.6%, to 29,391.26.
Hong Kong-listed shares of Chinese tech giant Tencent plunged 6.3%, while Meituan also saw heavy losses as it fell 5.3%.
AAC Technologies shares in Hong Kong slipped 3%.
In Taiwan, shares of Hon Hai Precision Industry — better known as Foxconn — fell 0.8% while Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company dropped 2.5%. LG Display’s stock in South Korea jumped 2.3%.
The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.768, weaker than levels above $0.772 seen yesterday.
In other markets
In Shanghai, the CSI 300 dropped 112.95 points, or 2%, to 5,512.97.
In Korea, the Kospi index lost 68.68 points, or 2.1%, to 3,140.31
In Singapore, the Straits Times surrendered 28.13 points, or 1%, to 2,945.52
In Taiwan, the Taiex Index slid 287.69 points, or 1.8%, to 15,658.85
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 subtracted 75.64 points, or 0.6%, to 13,323.46.
Australian markets were shuttered for holiday.
