- Most Asian stocks fell following a Wall Street selloff triggered by a rise in treasury yields, as the prospect of the Federal Reserve tightening monetary policy to combat high inflation weighs on markets.
- The Asia-pacific share index of MSCI fell for a fifth session, led lower by Japan, while China and Hong Kong remained stable. Futures in the US were volatile after the S&P500 fell 2.6% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq100 fell 2.6%.
- The decline in treasuries is raising hopes that the benchmark 10-year yield will exceed 2%. There is growing speculation that the Fed will raise interest rates by more than a quarter-point in March. Bond prices in Australia and New Zealand fell. The dollar index fell slightly.
- Oil extended its rally, underscoring global price pressures, after an explosion shut down a pipeline connecting Iraq and Turkey.
- In China, where policy differs from that of the US, the central bank pledged to use more monetary policy tools to help the economy and ease credit stress amid a real-estate slump. An index of Chinese real estate stocks rose.