Australian shares tumbled nearly 2% on Wednesday, losing $34.5 billion in market value as a global sell-off resumed due to the widening trade tensions between the United States and other countries, especially China.
The S&P/ASX 200 index ended 1.8% lower at 7,375 points, after a 2.3% jump on Tuesday. It is down nearly 15% from mid-February’s all-time high.
Other top Asian stock indexes also sank after President Donald Trump’s tariffs, including 104% on China kicked in. A savage selloff in Treasuries sparked fears foreign funds were fleeing U.S. assets.
Investors’ main concern is the escalation in the trade war, which will yield no absolute winners but only relative losers, said George Kurian, a portfolio manager at Oracle Investment Management.
Commodity-focussed companies bore the brunt of the sell-off as investors bailed on miners, which are heavily exposed to China, Australia’s largest trading partner.
Banks, miners propel Australian shares higher day after global market rout
The mining index, which has about 20% weightage on the benchmark, sank 3.7%. BHP Group fell 3.7% and Mineral Resources slumped 12.8%.
“Large tariffs on China are heavy negatives for the iron ore miners and this reality is now being reflected in the strong sell-off in iron ore stocks,” Kurian said.
Energy stocks declined 4%, tracking oil prices lower. Sector major Woodside lost 3.9%.
Financials shed 0.8%, but a 0.7% rise in top lender Commonwealth Bank of Australia cushioned the fall.
Health stocks slid 3.6%, with biotech giant CSL slipping 5.1%.
New Zealand’s benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index shed 0.7% to end at 11,806.55 points, little affected by the central bank’s expected rate cut.
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