Asian Markets Decline on Friday Amid U.S. Tariff Concerns

Asian markets broadly declined on Friday, March 28, as concerns over U.S. trade policies weighed on investor sentiment.

In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.67% to 3,351.31 points, while the Shenzhen Component Index declined 0.57% to 10,607.33 points. The ChiNext Index lost 0.79%, closing at 2,128.21 points. Cultural media, precious metals, and diversified finance sectors saw the highest net inflows, with cultural media leading at 1.036 billion yuan.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index slipped 0.65%, while the Hang Seng Tech Index dropped 1.48%. Among actively traded stocks, Xiaomi declined 1.26%, Tencent edged up 0.1%, Alibaba gained 0.69%, SMIC fell 4.67%, and BYD dipped 0.15%.

Japanese stocks declined sharply as investor worries over U.S. tariffs persisted, compounded by multiple companies going ex-dividend. Automakers and financial firms led losses, with Toyota down 4.5%, Honda losing 4.9%, Nomura Holdings falling 4.7%, and Japan Post Bank declining 4.5%. The Nikkei 225 tumbled 1.8% to 37,120.33 points, as investors remained cautious about trade and foreign policy developments.

In other Asian markets, South Korea’s KOSPI dropped 1.89%, closing at 2,557.98 points. Malaysia’s FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI lost 1,44%, settling at 1,513.65 points. Singapore’s Straits Times Index touched the 4,000-point mark in early trading before retreating 0.19% to 3,9754.03 points. India’s S&P BSE Sensex dipped 0.26%, closing at 77,403.62 points, as of 17:00 SGT.