Asian emerging market equities fell more than 1.7% as South Korea’s KOSPI dropped sharply intraday, triggering a five-minute sell-side circuit breaker amid higher oil prices, stalled U.S.-Iran talks, and profit-taking.
Asian emerging market stocks fell more than 1.7% amid broader risk aversion, while South Korea’s KOSPI dropped sharply intraday and triggered a five-minute sell-side circuit breaker. The older update reported the KOSPI down 7.00% to 7,421.91, while the newer report said it had fallen more than 5%, indicating a severe sell-off in the benchmark index. The decline was linked to rising oil prices, which heightened inflation concerns, and limited progress in U.S.-Iran talks, which added to uncertainty over the economic outlook. BNP Paribas Asset Management said the move was mainly driven by profit-taking after a strong rebound in Asian emerging market equities since April.