S&P 500 — US Large Cap Index
FTSE 100 — UK Blue Chips
Euro Stoxx 50 — Eurozone Leaders
DAX 40 — German Equities
CAC 40 — French Market Index
Nikkei 225 — Japan Benchmark
Hang Seng — Hong Kong Index
Shanghai Composite — China Mainland
ASX 200 — Australian Market
TSX Composite — Canada Index
Nifty 50 — India Large Cap
STI Index — Singapore Market
KOSPI — South Korea Index
Bovespa — Brazil Equities
JSE Top 40 — South Africa Index
IPC Index — Mexico MarketHong Kong stocks tumbled 483 points, or 1.8%, to 26,906 on the first trading day of February, extending steep losses from the prior session and retreating from last week’s 4-1/2-year high. Broad sector declines weighed on sentiment, compounded by a sharp drop in U.S. futures after bitcoin’s weekend slide and Friday’s heavy sell-off in precious metals. The backdrop was further clouded by a partial U.S. government shutdown, pending House approval of a funding deal.
In China, shares weakened further after official PMI data signaled an unexpected contraction in factory activity amid subdued demand and cautious business confidence. Automakers BYD Hong Kong and Geely Auto fell 2.2% and 2.0%, respectively, on weak January sales. Metal and gold counters also retreated, including Zhojin Mining (-5.3%), Chow Tai Fook (-3.5%), Zijin Gold Intl. (-2.3%), and Laopu Gold (-1.2%). Bucking the trend, Minimax Group surged 12%, followed by Sands China (3.8%) and Pop Mart Intl. (3.4%).
