Asian markets plunge as Japan's Nikkei 225 index dives nearly 8% after the big meltdown on Wall St
Share this @internewscast.com

Asian shares nosedived on Monday after the meltdown Friday on Wall Street over U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff hikes and the backlash from Beijing.

U.S. futures also signaled further weakness. The future for the S&P 500 lost 4.2% while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 3.5%. The future for the Nasdaq lost 5.3%.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index lost nearly 8% shortly after the market opened and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 tumbled more than 6%.

South Korea’s Kospi lost 4.4%.

Oil prices sank further, with U.S. benchmark crude down 4%, or $2.50, at $59.49 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, gave up $2.25 to $63.33 a barrel.

On Friday, Wall Street’s worst crisis since COVID slammed into a higher gear. The S&P 500 plummeted 6% and the Dow plunged 5.5%. The Nasdaq composite dropped 5.8%.

The losses came after China matched President Donald Trump’s big raise in tariffs announced last week, upping the stakes in a trade war that could end with a recession that hurts everyone. Even a better-than-expected report on the U.S. job market, usually the economic highlight of each month, wasn’t enough to stop the slide.

So far there have been few, if any, winners in financial markets from the trade war. Stocks for all but 14 of the 500 companies within the S&P 500 index fell Friday. The price of crude oil tumbled to its lowest level since 2021. Other basic building blocks for economic growth, such as copper, also saw prices slide on worries the trade war will weaken the global economy.

China’s response to U.S. tariffs caused an immediate acceleration of losses in markets worldwide. The Commerce Ministry in Beijing said it would respond to the 34% tariffs imposed by the U.S. on imports from China with its own 34% tariff on imports of all U.S. products beginning April 10, among other measures.

The United States and China are the world’s two largest economies.

The central question looking ahead is: Will the trade war cause a global recession? If it does, stock prices may need to come down even more than they have already. The S&P 500 is down 17.4% from its record set in February.

Trump seemed unfazed. From Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Florida, he headed to his golf course a few miles away after writing on social media that “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO GET RICH.”

The Federal Reserve could cushion the blow of tariffs on the economy by cutting interest rates, which can encourage companies and households to borrow and spend. But the Fed may have less freedom to move than it would like.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell said Friday that tariffs could drive up expectations for inflation and lower rates could fuel still more price increases.

“Our obligation is to keep longer-term inflation expectations well anchored and to make certain that a one-time increase in the price level does not become an ongoing inflation problem,” Powell said.

Much will depend on how long Trump’s tariffs stick and what kind of retaliations other countries deliver. Some of Wall Street is holding onto hope that Trump will lower the tariffs after prying “wins” from other countries following negotiations.

Trump has said Americans may feel “some pain” because of tariffs, but he has also said the long-term goals, including getting more manufacturing jobs back to the United States, are worth it.

On Wall Street, stocks of companies that do lots of business in China fell to some of the sharpest losses.

DuPont dropped 12.7% after China said its regulators are launching an anti-trust investigation into DuPont China group, a subsidiary of the chemical giant. It’s one of several measures targeting American companies and in retaliation for the U.S. tariffs.

GE Healthcare got 12% of its revenue last year from the China region, and it fell 16%.

In the bond market, Treasury yields fell, but they pared their drops following Powell’s cautious statements about inflation. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.01% from 4.06% late Thursday and from roughly 4.80% early this year. It had gone below 3.90% in the morning.

Copyright © 2025 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

NJ mother who drowned her two children to ‘eradicate all evil from the world’ deemed not guilty due to insanity

A woman from New Jersey, who drowned her young children last year…

After Hamas launches a rocket attack on Israeli cities, the IDF states: ‘They will face serious consequences’.

Israel struck back on Sunday after Hamas terrorists launched several rockets towards…

Remains Discovered in Oxnard, California Identified as Missing North Hollywood Teen Oscar Omar Hernandez, Family Confirms

LOS ANGELES — The family of a missing 13-year-old boy from Southern…

Efforts to Protect Uncontacted Tribe from Influencers After Past Threats

In the vast expanse of the Bay of Bengal lies North Sentinel…

FAFSA Faces Longstanding Challenges as Trump Reduces Education Department by Half

(The Hill) — Families and students are growing nervous about the fate…

Florida Principal Disciplined for Using Viral Walmart Foam Plate Trick: ‘My Friends Suggested It’

As every middle-schoolers is told, just because your friend does something risky…

Michelle Randolph Explains Why Elizabeth Dutton Couldn’t Remain on the Ranch in ‘1923’: “It’s Where Everyone She Loved Died”

Elizabeth Dutton neé Strafford, beautifully brought to life by 1923 star Michelle…

Fans Speculate About Killer’s Identity Before White Lotus Finale – Season Dubbed Most Disturbing Yet

HBO’s The White Lotus brings its third season to a close on…

Speaker Johnson Reaches Agreement with Rep. Luna on Proxy Voting for Parents

(The Hill) — Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has reached a deal with…

List of 2025 Olivier Awards Recipients Honoring Excellence in London’s Theatre

LONDON – The winners of the 2025 Olivier Awards handed out Sunday…

Banks Shut Down 272 Branches in First Quarter, Potential for More Closures Than Last Year

US banks closed 272 locations in the first three months of the…

‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 Review: Gloomy Yet Gorgeous, Elevating Isabela Merced’s Standout Role

There’s a moment in The Last of Us Season 2 finale where…