Asian stocks drop after US data showed recession fears

Tokyo led a collapse across Asian and European equities Monday after weak data on United States’ jobs fanned fears of a recession in the world’s top economy and boosted bets on several Federal Reserve interest rate cuts.

Trading boards showed a sea of red following another hefty day of losses on Wall Street where heavyweight tech firms including Amazon and Microsoft took the brunt owing to worries that an AI-fuelled rally this year may have been overdone.

A much-anticipated report Friday showed the US economy added just 114,000 jobs last month, well down from June and far fewer than expected, while the jobless rate rose to the highest level since October 2021.

The news came a day after lacklustre factory data that stoked concerns that Fed officials may have held borrowing costs at more than two-decade highs too long.

That has led to speculation that the economy could be in for a hard landing and tip into recession.

The losses in New York were followed in Asia, with Tokyo’s Nikkei tanking more than 12 per cent on its worst day since the Fukushima crisis in 2011. It also suffered its biggest-ever points loss, shedding 4,451.28.

Seoul and Taipei plunged more than eight per cent each, while Singapore gave up nearly five per cent and Sydney more than three per cent.

Futures trading was temporarily suspended on the Nikkei and Topix indexes, on the Osaka Exchange and in Seoul in a bid to ease volatility.

Hong Kong and Shanghai dropped, with traders brushing off a set of directives released by China aimed at boosting household consumption in the world’s number two economy.

There were also big losses in Mumbai, Bangkok, Manila, Jakarta and Wellington.

London and Paris were down more than 2 per cent at the open while Frankfurt was down more than 3 per cent.

The biggest losers were tech firms, with chip titan TSMC losing nearly 10 per cent in Taipei, while Seoul-listed Samsung and SK Hynix were each down more than 11 per cent. Tokyo Electron nosedived 18.48 per cent in Japan.

But the pain was not reserved only for the tech sector, with Toyota shedding 13.65 per cent and HSBC off more than five per cent.

Markets are “still reeling from last Friday’s seismic shifts in the global financial landscape.

“The trigger? A US employment report that missed the mark so badly didn’t just drop jaws — it dropped stocks and bond yields while sending volatility and rate cut expectations through the roof,” said Stephen Innes in his Dark Side Of The Boom newsletter.

He pointed out that “the mood was already souring in Asia” following a disappointing batch of earnings from tech titans such as Tesla and Alphabet as well as a rate hike by the Bank of Japan and more weak Chinese economic data.

“Mix these, and you have the perfect market meltdown recipe,” he said.

The selling was also making officials in Tokyo sit up after the Nikkei shed 5.8 per cent on Friday.

Japan’s top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said it “would continue to stay on its toes and monitor market developments with keen interest.

“We are aware there are various evaluations regarding the stocks plunge this time around, and about the status of the Japanese economy, but the government will continue its efforts to completely break free of deflation and to transition to a growth-driven economy.”

The yen broke through 143 per dollar for the first time since January as the jobs report ramped up expectations the Fed will slash rates.

The US central bank had signalled after its latest meeting Wednesday that slowing inflation and a softening labour market meant it could cut next month, with traders predicting two or three 25-basis-point reductions before January.

Now there is speculation it will lower rates by a full percentage point in that time.

Taylor Nugent at the National Australia Bank said, “The Fed doesn’t meet again until September 18. There is one more payroll report and two (consumer price indexes) before then.

“It’s hard to imagine they could stop the Fed cutting in September, with interest instead on whether they support a 50-basis-point move and how rapid cuts will be going forward.”

The yen — which just last month hit a nearly four-decade low close to 162 to the dollar — was also boosted by the Bank of Japan’s decision last week to hike interest rates for just the second time in 17 years and its suggestion more could be on the way.

Nozomi Moriya at UBS forecast the yen to end the year around 145 to the dollar and drop to around 130 in 2025.

– Key figures around 0710 GMT –

Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 12.4 per cent at 31,458.42 (close)

Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 2.2 per cent per cent at 16,576.84

Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 1.5 per cent at 2,860.70 (close)

London – FTSE 100: DOWN 2.1 percent at 8,003.83

Dollar/yen: DOWN at 143.00 yen from 146.52 yen on Friday

Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0909 from $1.0912

Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2747 from $1.2802

Euro/pound: UP at 85.08 pence from 85.22 pence

West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 1.0 per cent at $72.80 per barrel

Brent North Sea Crude: FLAT at $76.81 per barrel

New York – Dow: DOWN 1.5 per cent at 39,737.26 (close)

AFP