Asian stocks fell, after U.S. equities dropped to a two-month low amid escalating tensions in Ukraine.
The Nikkei 225 in Tokyo plummeted 160.52 points, or 1.1%, to 15,159.79. The benchmark index has fallen for a fifth day in a row.
The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong reversed 64.13 points, or 0.3%, to 24,584.13
SoftBank Corp., a Japanese mobile-phone operator, dropped 3.5% after a person familiar with the matter said Sprint Corp., controlled by SoftBank, ended talks to acquire T-Mobile US Inc.
Vard Holdings Ltd. plunged 5.1% in Singapore after the shipbuilder said it received a tax claim from Brazil authorities. Aluminum Corp. of China Ltd. surged 9.4% in Hong Kong after the government allowed the producer of the light metal to create a rare earth group.
China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd., a mainland mobile carrier, declined 5.3% in Hong Kong. The company’s quarterly profit is expected to fall 3.7% to 3.3 billion yuan ($535 million U.S.)
Pacific Metals Co., a Japanese maker of stainless steel, slumped 16% after forecasting a full-year loss of 415 million yen. Its rating was cut to underperform at Mizuho Securities Co.
Aluminum Corp. of China, known as Chalco, soared 9.4% after the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology approved its plan to form a rare earth group.
Kubota Corp., a Japanese manufacturer of industrial machinery, jumped 8.9% after reporting profit rose. First-quarter net income advanced 8.4 percent to 33.4 billion yen ($326 million U.S.), compared with analysts’ estimate of 30.2 billion yen.
In other markets;
The Shanghai CSI 300 index dipped 6.13 points, or 0.3%, to 2,363.22
In Singapore, the Straits Times STI Index slid 7.44 points, or 0.2%, to 3,320.23
In Korea, the Kospi index fell 5.53 points, or 0.3%, to 2,060.73
The Taiex Index in Taiwan inched forward 2.53 points to 9,143.97
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 stumbled 11.94 points, or 0.2%, to 5,092.23
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 backtracked 6.57 points, or 0.1%, to 5,511.99
