|

Asia risk-off extends on Brexit woes, ASX 200 tanks -2%

Risk-off sentiment continues to dominate the Asian markets for the second day today, with investors spooked by intensifying Brexit fears after the latest UK’s EU referendum polls revealed vote-favouring the Leave campaign with significant lead.

Moreover, renewed weakness in the oil prices also hurt the energy sector stocks, while a relatively stronger yen weighs negatively on the exports-oriented stocks on the region’s indices.

ASX 200 leads Asia sell-off

The Japanese benchmark index, the Nikkei 225 extends sell-off and now dives -1.25% to trade below 16k levels, as USD/JPY surrenders 106 handle once again, losing -0.24%. The Australian markets ignored upbeat Aus NAB business conditions data, as weaker oil prices weighed on the resource, mining and energy stocks. The ASX 200 index slumps -1.95% to 5,211 levels.

While the Chinese equities ditched their Asian peers and traded modestly higher, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite index gaining +0.08%, the CSI300 index trades +0.15%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng trades muted above 20,500 points.

Author

Dhwani Mehta

Dhwani Mehta

FXStreet

Residing in Mumbai (India), Dhwani is a Senior Analyst and Manager of the Asian session at FXStreet. She has over 10 years of experience in analyzing and covering the global financial markets, with specialization in Forex and commodities markets.

More from Dhwani Mehta
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD gains traction to near 1.1800 as tariff uncertainty weighs on US Dollar

The EUR/USD pair holds positive ground around 1.1795 during the early Asian session on Tuesday. The US Dollar weakens against the Euro amid US tariff uncertainty. The release of the US January Producer Price Index report will be in the spotlight later on Friday. 

GBP/USD treads water near 1.3500 as BoE-Fed divergence debate stalls

GBP/USD spent Monday spinning in place as market participants await a fresh catalyst to break the pair out of its recent range. The BoE's February hold came with a surprisingly dovish 5-4 split, and UK Consumer Price Index data last week showed inflation easing to 3.0%, reinforcing the case for earlier rate cuts, with most economists now looking to April or March for the next move. 

Gold climbs above $5,200 on geopolitical tensions, trade uncertainty

Gold price jumps to around $5,230 during the early Asian session on Tuesday. The rally of the precious metal is bolstered by heightened geopolitical tensions and global trade uncertainty following US tariff decisions. Traders brace for the US January Producer Price Index report on Friday for fresh impetus. 

Solana DeFi platform Step Finance to close operations following treasury hack

The Solana based decentralized finance platform Step Finance announced it will end all operations effective immediately following a breach that drained its treasury.

Supreme Court nixes tariffs, Trump teases 15% global tariff

On February 20th, the Supreme Court ruled that Trump’s global tariffs under IEEPA authority were unconstitutional, effectively nullifying the framework. However, the relief was short-lived. Within hours, Trump floated a 15% blanket tariff under an alternative legal authority.

XRP recovers slightly as bearish sentiment dominates crypto market

Ripple is rising above $1.40 at the time of writing on Monday amid fresh tariff-triggered headwinds in the broader cryptocurrency market. The sell-off to $1.33, the token’s intraday low, can be attributed to macroeconomic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions and risk-averse sentiment among other factors.