Most Asian stock markets sank Tuesday, led by Japan, as investors took their cues from a big sell-off in the U.S, AP reported. Japanese stocks resumed trading after a holiday Monday, with the Nikkei 225 diving 2.4 percent to 15,522.79. Investors were getting their first chance since Friday to react to the U.S. jobs report, which showed December hiring slowed sharply, as well as the movement in the yen, which has risen strongly since last week. Hong Kong's Hang Seng inched down 0.2 percent to 22,850.88 and Seoul's Kospi dropped 0.2 percent to 1,945.96. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dived 1.5 percent to 5,214.10. China's benchmark Shanghai Composite Index, however, added 0.6 percent to 2,020.94. The Fed has said it will make an initial $10 billion cut to its $85 billion of monthly bond purchases that have supported economic recovery by keeping interest rates low. Japan's Suntory Beverages & Food Ltd. rose 0.6 percent in Tokyo after its privately held parent, Suntory Holdings Ltd., said it was buying American whiskey maker Beam Inc. in a $13.6 billion deal. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 1.1 percent to 16,257.94 on Monday. The Nasdaq composite dropped 1.5 percent to 4,113.30. The Standard & Poor's 500 dropped 1.3 percent to 1,819.20. In energy markets, benchmark crude for February delivery was up 20 cents to $92 in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 92 cents to close at $91.80 on Monday. In currencies, the dollar strengthened to 103.38 yen from 103.21 yen in late trading on Monday. The euro was little changed at $1.3660.
