People walk under cherry blossoms in Tokyo on March 31, 2023.
This is CNBC's live blog covering Asia-Pacific markets.
Asia-Pacific markets mostly fell Tuesday, with Hong Kong markets leading losses in the region as investors continue to grapple with the fallout from Evergrande's liquidation order.
On Monday, shares of the embattled property developer were halted after plunging more than 20%. A Hong Kong court ruled to liquidate the firm, which was once considered one of China's largest real estate firms.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index tumbled 2.4%, led by declines in consumer cyclical and real estate stocks, while the mainland Chinese CSI 300 also fell 1.78% at 3,245.04.
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Japan's Nikkei 225 inched up 0.11% to close at 36,065.86, but the broad based Topix slipped 0.1% to 2,526.93
This comes as Japan's unemployment rate in December fell to 2.4%, lower than 2.5% in the month before and slightly below expectations. Economists polled by Reuters expected the unemployment rate to stay unchanged at 2.5%.
South Korea's Kospi lost 0.07% and ended at 2,498.81, reversing earlier gains made, while the small cap Kosdaq inched marginally lower to 818.86.
Money Report
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 ended the day up 0.29% at 7,600.20, for a seventh straight day of gains.
Overnight in the U.S., the S&P 500 rose Monday and closed at a fresh record high as Wall Street looked toward several mega-cap tech earnings reports and the Federal Reserve's rate policy decision.
The benchmark index climbed 0.76% to 4,927.93, topping its highest ever close of 4,894.16.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.59%, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 1.12%.
— CNBC's Brian Evans and Hakyung Kim contributed to this report.
Oil inches up after Saudi Aramco halts plans to increase maximum production capacity
Oil prices climbed slightly on Tuesday after petroleum refinery giant Saudi Aramco announced it has received a directive from the Saudi Arabia's energy ministry to maintain its maximum sustainable production capacity at 12 million barrels a day.
In March 2020, the energy giant said it would increase its maximum sustainable production capacity from 12 million barrels to 13 million barrels, and in October 2021, it was reported that Aramco aimed to achieve this target by 2027.
Prices of Brent crude rose 0.57% to $77.23, while West Texas Intermediate crude climbed 0.49% to trade at $82.80.
— Lim Hui Jie
Consumer cyclicals and real estate stocks lead losses in Hong Kong
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index led losses among major Asian benchmarks, falling over 2% due to consumer cyclicals and real estate stocks.
The largest loser on the HSI was Hang Lung Properties, which slid 6.38%. It was followed by counterparts Shenzhou International Group and Longfor Group Holdings, which lost 6.08% and 5.39% respectively.
Other top losers on the Hang Seng included electric vehicle maker BYD, as well as state owned chipmaker SMIC.
— Lim Hui Jie
Vietnam's economy is in a 'pretty good position' this year, VinaCapital says
Vietnam's economy is in a "pretty good position" this year, said VinaCapital chief investment officer Andy Ho, who expects growth between 6% and 7% this year.
Apart from low interest rates and strong exports to the U.S. and Europe, the country's "liquidity situation is very strong," Ho told CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia."
"A lot of people have money and they're ready to invest domestically ... whether it's capital assets or real estate or the stock market," he said. "So I think 2024 is a relatively good year for Vietnam."
Ho, however, warned of challenges in Vietnam's real estate sector despite his optimism that it will recover this year.
"There is demand for real estate products, whether they're mid to low income housing, [and] there is a need to develop these assets," Ho highlighted. "And if [the] government starts to approve these projects much quicker, the banking system will provide capital for these developers to get on with it."
— Charmaine Jacob
Japan's December jobless rate cools to lowest level since January 2023
Japan's unemployment rate edged lower in the month of December, according to official data.
The jobless rate in the last month of 2023 fell to 2.4% from the previous month. The reading was 2.5% in October.
December's jobless rate was also a tad lower than a Reuters poll forecast of 2.5%, and the lowest rate of unemployment since January 2023.
Another reading showed, the ratio for jobs-to-applicants was at 1.27 in December, levels not seen since June 2022.
It was also marginally lower than a Reuters poll forecast of 1.28.
— Shreyashi Sanyal
CNBC Pro: Want to invest in China's booming EV market? These ETFs could offer a good way in
As China's electric vehicle market goes from strength to strength, investors worldwide are showing a growing interest in getting involved.
"We're particularly bullish on this fanning out of Chinese competitiveness in EV makers," Kingsley Jones of boutique advisory firm Jevons Global told CNBC's Pro Talks on Thursday. "There's lots of them."
However, significant hurdles remain for retail investors before they can be part of China's EV growth story. For example, many stockbrokers charge a premium to trade Hong Kong-listed stocks, and Chinese regulations prevent retail investors abroad from buying mainland-listed "A-shares" directly.
Instead, the veteran investor pointed out that ETFs with concentrated positions remain viable options for those seeking exposure to the Chinese EV growth potential.
CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here.
— Ganesh Rao
CNBC Pro: Analysts are so bullish on this global chip stock they keep naming it as their top pick
One stock frequently showed up among analysts' top calls this month.
They are bullish on it as a play on artificial intelligence.
CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here.
— Weizhen Tan
Dow slated to underperform in January, hurt by Boeing
Sell-offs in Boeing and a handful of other stocks has restricted gains for the Dow this month.
The blue-chip average is set to finish January's trading month, which concludes with Wednesday's closing bell, up about 1.7%. By comparison, the broad S&P 500 and technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite are on pace to advance 3.3% and 4.1%, respectively.
Part of those capped gains for the Dow are due to from Boeing, which has tumbled 21% this month. Shares have plummeted after a door plug on a 737 Max 9 aircraft blew out midflight.
Walgreens and Intel have also dragged on the 30-stock index, sliding roughly 13% each. A dozen Dow members are on pace to finish the month lower.
Those dives have somewhat mitigated gains seen elsewhere. Notably, IBM has led the index higher with a rally of more than 14%. Verizon and Merck were the next biggest gainers, advancing around 11% each.
— Alex Harring
Oil falls as China property crisis overshadows geopolitical risk
Oil prices tumbled on Monday as worries grow about the impact of China's property crisis on its economy.
The West Texas Intermediate contract for March fell $1.01, or 1.29%, to trade at $77 a barrel. The Brent contract for March dropped 94 cents, or 1.13%, to trade at $82.61.
Crude prices fell after a court in Hong Kong ordered the liquidation of Evergrande, which was once China's largest property developer. Traders are worried China's property crisis is weighing on its economy and the slowdown could soften demand for oil this year.
Oil rose more than 1% earlier in the session after three U.S. soldiers were killed in a drone strike on base in Jordan. The U.S. blamed Iran-allied militants for the attack.
"It's a critical inflection point for the Biden administration because we really have to see whether he will have a serious escalatory response to this attack," Helima Croft with RBC Capital Markets told CNBC's "Worldwide Exchange" on Monday.
— Spencer Kimball
Energy stocks drag on S&P 500
Energy names hurt the S&P 500 in Monday's session.
The broad index inched up about 0.1% in morning trading. But it was weighed on by a slide in energy stocks, with the sector down 0.7%.
Every stock in the energy sector traded lower in the session. APA was the biggest loser, sliding 1.7%,
On the other hand, consumer discretionary was the best performing sector with a 0.3% advance. Tesla led the sector higher with a gain of more than 2%, regaining some ground after sliding more than 13% last week on the back of earnings.
— Alex Harring
Treasury Department reduces estimate for first-quarter borrowing
The U.S. Treasury Department expects to borrow $760 billion in the first quarter, according to a press release published Monday afternoon. That is below the previous estimate of $815 billion "largely due to projections of higher net fiscal flows and a higher beginning of quarter cash balance," the release said.
The reduced estimates appeared to spark a rally for bonds and stocks. The 10-year Treasury yield fell to its lowest level of the day at roughly 4.07%, while the S&P 500 is now up about 0.7%.
The Treasury will announce further details about its quarterly refunding plans on Wednesday.
— Jesse Pound
