Shares in major Asian markets weakened on Monday. The Hong Kong index Hang Seng lost the most, then the Tokyo stock market weakened slightly.
At the beginning of the new trading week, investors were getting rid of shares on Asian stock exchanges. Monday’s sale had two main causes. On the one hand, there is still uncertainty about the dangers of the new variant of the coronavirus omicron, and on the other hand, concerns have begun about possible interest rate increases by the US Federal Reserve.
If it turns out that the omikron variant will pose serious obstacles to the functioning of the global economy, the current recovery is likely to slow down significantly. This would in turn negatively affect the performance of many companies. Investors are similarly sensitive about the idea that the US Federal Reserve could begin to tighten its monetary policy, which would have comparable effects as the spread of a potentially dangerous omicron variant to the world.
Of the major Asian stock markets, the one in Hong Kong fell the most, the Hang Seng index lost 1.76 percent. The Nikkei of the Tokyo Stock Exchange weakened by 0.36 percent, the Shanghai aggregate index fell by half a percent.
