Asian Pacific shares continued their downward trend on Tuesday, following a retreat in Wall Street indices caused by growing fears of an escalating conflict in the Middle East.
By 10:30 am AEST (12:30 am GMT) the S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.9%, the KOSPI 200 dipped 1.3% and the Nikkei 225 lost 1.6%.
US stocks also suffered broad losses on Monday, continuing their recent slump in response to the intensifying Middle East tensions and surging US Treasury yields.
New data revealed a stronger-than-expected increase in US retail sales last month, indicating a robust economy. However, the positive news led to a rise in US bond yields as traders reduced expectations of the extent to which the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates.
The drop in stocks extended last week's downturn, which was triggered by data showing a greater-than-expected rise in the consumer-price index in March, marking the third consecutive month of higher-than-anticipated inflation.
Interest-rate futures on Monday suggested that investors believe there's just over a 50% chance that the central bank will cut rates twice by the end of this year, according to CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) data. This is a considerable adjustment from a month earlier when the chances of at least three cuts were estimated at around 65%.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year US Treasury note settled at 4.627% on Monday, up from 4.499% on Friday, marking the highest since mid-November.
The energy sector was a notable exception in the global decline, with Chinese shares ending mostly higher as investor sentiment was lifted by new capital-market guidelines emphasizing investor protection and regulatory enforcement.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index closed 0.7% lower, pressured by consumer-related stocks and weakness in the Chinese yuan, coupled with Middle East tensions. Japan's Nikkei Stock Average fell 0.7% to 39232.80, dragged down by losses in tech and pharmaceutical stocks.
In Europe, shares ended Monday moderately higher, with the pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 up 0.13% to 505.93, the CAC 40 up 0.43% to 8,045.11, while Germany's DAX added 0.54% to 18,026.58. However, the FTSE 100 in the UK closed down 0.4% as fears remained over an escalation of tensions in the Middle East.