Europe Asia News

South Korea’s Kospi index fell more than 4%, while Kospi 200 futures dropped as much as 5%, triggering the sidecar mechanism that temporarily halts trading, according to an official statement. Heavyweights SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics fell 6.66% and 5.55%, respectively, while the small-cap Kosdaq lost 4.45%.

According to a private survey released on Monday, China’s factory activity accelerated in January as manufacturers ramped up production and shipments ahead of the extended Lunar New Year holiday.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.13% and the Topix index gained 0.52%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell 1.64%, while mainland China’s CSI 300 declined 0.68%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 lost 1%.

As Wall Street kicked off a new trading month, futures tied to major U.S. indexes fell in early Asian trading, with investors tracking bitcoin after weekend sell-offs.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures fell 143 points, or 0.3%. S&P 500 futures slipped 0.6%, while Nasdaq-100 futures dropped about 1%.

Bitcoin fell below $80,000 for the first time since April, signaling increased risk aversion among investors following sharp declines in gold and silver. Bitcoin was last trading around $76,700.

Last Friday, U.S. stocks declined as technology shares remained sluggish, despite investors largely approving President Donald Trump’s decision to appoint Kevin Warsh as head of the Federal Reserve.

Still, the S&P 500 posted gains in January despite Friday’s losses and a volatile month. The broad index closed down 0.43% at 6,939.03, marking its third consecutive daily decline.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 0.36% at 48,892.47, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 0.94% to end the session at 23,461.82. All three indexes fell more than 1% at their session lows.