Major Stock Indices In East Asia Fall On Taiwan Concerns
The benchmark stock indices in Tokyo and other parts of East Asia fell sharply on Tuesday on media reports of the possible visit by the US House Speaker to Taiwan. Some investors were worried that tensions between Washington and Beijing may be about to increase.
The Nikkei Average ended the day at 27,594. That's down 398 points or 1.4 percent from Monday's close.
Recent worries over a US economic slowdown are also being blamed.
Traders unloaded shares in a wide range of sectors in other indices. Hong Kong's Hang Seng and the Shanghai Composite fell more than 2 percent respectively.
Taiwan's benchmark index lost 1.56 percent. Analysts say some investors in Asia sought to avoid taking risks following the media reports.