Asian Markets Plummet: Japan, China Stocks Crash, US Market Weakens

• Asian markets, including Japan and China, experienced a significant downturn on Thursday, with Hong Kong's Hang Seng falling 0.66% and Japan's Nikkei 225 dropping 1.50%.
• The Bank of Korea held interest rates at 2.50%, leading to a slight uptick in South Korean markets (KOSPI rose 0.57%) but a weakening won.
• China's market regulatory body launched an investigation into Trip.com for monopolistic behavior, causing its shares to plummet by 17.2% and becoming the biggest loser on the Hang Seng.
• US markets remained weak for the second consecutive day, with the S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq Composite all closing lower.
• The tech sector in the US was particularly hit, with Broadcom falling 4% and Nvidia and Micron declining over 1% amid reports of China blocking Nvidia H200 chips.

Why It Matters: Global stock markets, especially in Asia and the US, are facing pressure due to various economic and regulatory factors.