Global stock markets plunge

Japanese stocks suffered their biggest daily loss Monday as fears about a US economic slowdown sent shock waves through global markets.

The Nikkei 225 index of leading stocks in Tokyo lost a staggering 4,451 points, its biggest drop in history. The index closed more than 12% down, taking its losses since early July to 25% and entering bear market territory.

“That was a crash. It smelled like 1987,” Neil Newman, head of strategy at Astris Advisory in Tokyo, told CNN. He was referring to “Black Monday” in October 1987, when global markets plunged and the Nikkei lost 3,836 points.

Fears of a sharp slowdown in the US economy have raised expectations that the Federal Reserve will have to slash interest rates. Coming as the Bank of Japan (BOJ) takes its interest rates higher to contain inflation, that is boosting the value of the yen against the US dollar and making Japanese export-dependent stocks less attractive.

At the same time, tech stocks are being hammered by a combination of mixed earnings and increasing skepticism among some investors about the hype around artificial intelligence.

“The biggest threat to market stability isn’t what the (currency) market does, but what US equities, particularly tech stocks, do. The rally was huge, the valuations were stretched and Warren Buffet’s liking for cash is making headlines again,” wrote Societe Generale strategist Kit Juckes in a note Monday.

Trading was halted for short periods of time in Japan and South Korea as circuit breakers designed to prevent panic selling were triggered multiple times.

“(Today) was relentless,” said Newman. “It was unusual because there was the absence of a rebound at the end of the day, which you would normally see due to short covering,” he added. That’s when traders buy back shares they have borrowed to sell.

The volatility spread to other markets in Asia and Europe, and US stock futures fell sharply overnight. Nasdaq futures were down 4%. Dow futures and S&P 500 futures were down 1.5% and 2.3% respectively.