· European markets opened lower on Wednesday morning as investors monitored corporate earnings and fresh economic data.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 opened 0.22 percent lower with all sectors and major bourses in negative territory.
· Asian stocks slipped across the board on Wednesday as various factors including weaker metals prices and monetary policy concerns in China soured investor risk sentiment.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS dropped to a two-month low and was last down 1.5 percent.
· Japan’s Nikkei share average posted its biggest fall in 8 1/2 months on Wednesday as investors rushed to lock in gains after it broke below the key technical support from its 25-day moving average.
The Nikkei share average fell 2 percent, its biggest daily fall since March 22, to a near three-week low of 22,177.04.
· China stocks fell on Wednesday amid rising expectations that central banks will tighten liquidity, pushing interest rates higher.
At the close, the Shanghai Composite index was down 9.55 points or 0.29 percent at 3,294.13.
The blue-chip CSI300 index was down 0.6 percent, with its financial sector sub-index lower by 1.11 percent, the consumer staples sector down 0.97 percent, the real estate index off 0.68 percent and healthcare sub-index down 0.36 percent.
· Hong Kong stocks posted their biggest single-day loss in over a year on Wednesday, with sentiment hurt by a tumble in index heavyweight Tencent and simmering worries over North Korea.
At close of trade, the Hang Seng index was down 618.00 points or 2.14 percent at 28,224.80. The Hang Seng China Enterprises index fell 2.8 percent to 11,162.58.
Reference: Reuters, CNBC
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