[MARKET ANALYSIS] APAC stocks follow the losses from the US; Japan, China and South Korea closed amid holidays

APAC stocks are experiencing pressure after negative cues from Wall Street, compounded by reduced trading volumes due to holidays in major markets like Japan and China.

Newsquawk StaffPublished 5 May 2026, 02:07 UTCOn the live feed at 01:47 UTC — 3 more headlines followed before this page went public

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[MARKET ANALYSIS] APAC stocks follow the losses from the US; Japan, China and South Korea closed amid holidays

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APAC stocks trade negatively following a downbeat lead from Wall Street, and with liquidity thin amid mass market closures, with Japan, South Korea, and Mainland China away on holiday.
ASX 200 is pressured by its metals sector, whilst financial heavyweight Westpac slipped following a miss in H1 net income. Traders also look ahead to the RBA announcement and press conference, with the central bank widely expected to deliver its third consecutive 25bps rate hike.
Hang Seng conformed to the downbeat mood, with tech taking the hit and with stock connect flows still absent amid the holiday in mainland China.
US equity futures traded flat and sideways throughout the entirety of the APAC session thus far, with newsflow on the lighter side.
European equity futures are indicative of a lower open with the Euro Stoxx 50 future -0.4% after cash closed -2.2% on Monday.

Context

This may indicate a continuation of risk aversion as traders digest US performance and await further developments, particularly the impending RBA rate hike amid a bearish sentiment for regional equities.

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