Asian Stocks Decline Following Wall Street's Dip; Australian Market Mixed Amid Sectoral Shifts; Trade Tensions and Corporate News Impact Markets

Asian stock markets mostly declined on Monday, mirroring Wall Street's downturn on Friday due to disappointing U.S. economic data and rising inflation expectations. According to RTTNews and Bloomberg reports, the Australian market showed mixed performance, with the S&P/ASX 200 index slightly up by 0.07% to 8,302.10, recovering from an earlier low of 8,216.30, driven by financial stocks offsetting losses in mining and tech sectors. Japan's market was closed. In Australia, significant stock movements included WiseTech Global plummeting 22% due to director resignations, while NIB Holdings surged 15% after positive results. Iress fell 16% despite profit, and Reece plunged 11% after reporting revenue decline. APA Group rose 7% after reaffirming earnings forecasts. Regionally, New Zealand, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Taiwan saw declines, while Hong Kong and Singapore rose slightly. Trade tensions remained a concern as Chinese Vice Premier expressed worry over U.S. tariffs. Corporate news included Berkshire Hathaway's plan to increase holdings in Japanese trading houses and a major merger in the oil services sector.