Historic Record Decline: Global Markets See Stock Index Drop

Global markets are witnessing a decline in stock indices. The main index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the Nikkei, fell by 12.4% at the end of trading, marking a historic record drop. TASS reports that this downturn is occurring amidst concerns over the slowing economic growth in the United States and escalating tensions in the Middle East, highlighted by the potential for Iran to strike Israel.

According to Economic Times, Israeli securities have sharply declined, with the main TA-35 stock index dropping by 2.7%. Trading on the Istanbul Stock Exchange was halted immediately after opening due to a 6.72% drop in the BIST-100 index. The main index TAIEX of the Taiwanese stock exchange and the Hang Seng index of the Hong Kong stock market also recorded declines.

In this context, the value of Bitcoin has fallen below $49,000 for the first time since February 14, according to data from the Binance platform. Later, the price rose to $50,237, a decrease of 17.32%.

Reuters reports that European stock exchanges recorded their lowest figures in nearly six months on Monday. All major European exchanges opened with losses, with the pan-European STOXX 600 index falling by 3.1% to 482.42 points, marking its lowest level since February 13. The London FTSE 100 index dropped by more than 1.9%, reaching its lowest level since April.

As Bloomberg notes, the global decline in stock indices is intensifying amid fears that the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) may not be able to support a slowing economy. Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury yields have reached their lowest levels since 2023. The site points out that recession risks in the U.S. are associated with unemployment levels exceeding Fed forecasts.