Asian stocks hit as recession fears overshadow China reopening hope

Asian stocks extended a global sell-off Wednesday while oil held losses on growing fears Federal Reserve monetary tightening will tip the US economy into recession, AFP reported.
The drop followed another day deep in the red for New York’s three main indexes after the heads of Wall Street’s leading banks warned of tough times ahead in 2023.
JPMorgan Chase chief Jamie Dimon tipped a “mild to hard recession” and Goldman Sachs’ David Solomon said jobs and pay would be hit, while Morgan Stanley and Bank of America were also uneasy about the outlook.
The comments added to the downbeat mood that has coursed through trading floors at the start of the week, after forecast-beating reports on jobs and the giant US services sector fanned worries the Fed will have to push interest rates higher than hoped.
Markets had been rising healthily ahead of Friday’s employment figures after a weaker-than-expected inflation reading for October suggested the almost year-long tightening campaign was finally affecting prices.
Hong Kong, Tokyo, Shanghai, Sydney, Seoul, Singapore, Mumbai, Bangkok, Manila and Jakarta all dropped.
In a sign of the impact the zero-Covid strategy has had, data Wednesday showed that imports and exports and imports plunged far more than expected in November.
On Wednesday officials announced for the first time a nationwide loosening of restrictions, including a reduction in mandatory PCR tests and allowing some positive cases to quarantine at home.