Asian Stocks Dip as Chinese Stimulus Rally Fades and Interest Rate Worries Persist

Most Asian stocks edged lower on Tuesday as the stimulus-driven rally in Chinese markets lost momentum. Additionally, concerns about sustained high interest rates continued to weigh on investor sentiment.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Suffers

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was the day’s worst performer, hit hard by a significant drop in electric vehicle and technology stocks.

Tech Stocks Stagnate

Technology stocks across the region stalled, with investors growing cautious ahead of NVIDIA Corporation’s (NASDAQ: NVDA) eagerly anticipated earnings release on Wednesday. NVIDIA is considered a bellwether for the AI sector, and its performance is closely watched.

Mixed Cues from Wall Street

Wall Street provided mixed signals to Asian markets following a varied close on Monday. While tech sector strength propelled the NASDAQ Composite to record highs, other sectors lagged amidst ongoing uncertainty about interest rates. U.S. stock index futures fell slightly in Asian trade.

China’s Rally Pauses, Awaiting Further Stimulus

China’s Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 and Shanghai Composite indexes fell 0.3% and 0.4%, respectively, retreating from their highest levels of 2024. Local markets saw some profit-taking after a strong rebound over the past two months.

Investors are now waiting to see how Beijing will implement its latest stimulus measures and their potential impact on the economy. Optimism about further stimulus had driven China’s recent stock rally, but now the market seeks clarity on the specifics and effectiveness of these measures, particularly those targeting the struggling property market.

Hong Kong Stocks Slide on EV and Tech Losses

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell by as much as 2% from a nine-month high, primarily due to a nearly 20% drop in Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI) Inc (HK: 2015) shares after the company reported disappointing first-quarter earnings. This loss affected other EV stocks, with BYD Co Ltd (HK: 1211) and Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd (HK: 0175) both down over 3%.

Major tech stocks also declined. Tencent Holdings Ltd (HK: 0700) slid 3% after its highly anticipated Dungeon & Fighter mobile game was taken offline just an hour post-launch. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (HK: 9988) (NYSE: BABA) dropped 1% after its cloud unit further reduced prices, particularly for its Tongyi Qianwen AI bot. Baidu Inc (HK: 9888) (NASDAQ: BIDU) also fell 3%, following its peers’ losses.

Mixed Performance Across Broader Asian Markets

Broader Asian markets showed mixed results. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.2%, while the broader TOPIX index edged up 0.1%. Australia’s ASX 200 fell 0.3% after the Reserve Bank of Australia’s May meeting minutes revealed that the bank considered raising interest rates to tackle persistent inflation. South Korea’s KOSPI dropped 0.5%, while futures for India’s Nifty 50 index indicated a mildly positive opening.

Conclusion

In summary, Asian stocks mostly declined on Tuesday due to the waning momentum of the Chinese stimulus rally and persistent concerns over high interest rates. The market remains cautious, waiting for further economic cues, especially from the upcoming earnings report from NVIDIA and additional signals from the Federal Reserve regarding interest rates.