Stock Market Live Updates: Volatility looms as Asian markets navigate uncertain conditions

Stock Market Live Today: Asian markets open cautiously amid hawkish yen and mixed performance

Asian markets opened cautiously with a mix of performance, while the yen gained strength due to potentially hawkish comments from the Bank of Japan governor.

Stocks in South Korea and Japan’s Topix index saw gains. Hong Kong’s equity futures remained unchanged, with the market set to reopen after a closure due to heavy rainstorms on Friday.

At 6.40 am, Japan’s Topix Index showed a marginal increase of 0.12% at 2,361.99 points, while the Nikkei Index dropped 0.30% to 32,509.79. South Korea’s Kospi index traded with slight weakness at 2,544.97 points.

Market sentiment is fragile, as evidenced by the Nasdaq’s 2% decline last week and more than 1% drops in the S&P 500, MSCI World, and MSCI Asia ex-Japan Index. Concerns about rising bond yields, a strong U.S. dollar, and uncertainty surrounding the Federal Reserve’s rate hikes are contributing to the volatility, typical for this historically turbulent month in the stock market.