Asia-Pacific markets set to fall as fresh Trump tariffs due this week keep investors jittery

Asia-Pacific markets were set to mostly fall Monday ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s fresh round of tariffs expected later in the week.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 started the day 1.37% lower.

Over in Japan, the benchmark Nikkei 225 was set to open lower, with the futures contract in Chicago at 36,135 while its counterpart in Osaka last traded at 36,070, against the index’s last close of 37,120.33.

Futures for Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index last traded at 23,284 pointing to a weaker open compared to the HSI’s close of 23,426.60.

U.S. futures slipped as investors await clarity on Trump’s tariff plans.

Stocks had sold off sharply last Friday, amid growing uncertainty on U.S. trade policy and a bleak inflation outlook.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 715.80 points, or 1.69%, at 41,583.90. The S&P 500 shed 1.97% to 5,580.94, ending the week down for the fifth time in the last six weeks. The Nasdaq Composite plunged 2.7% to settle at 17,322.99.

Shares of several technology giants dropped, putting pressure on the broader market. Google-parent Alphabet lost 4.9%, while Meta and Amazon each shed 4.3%.

— CNBC’s Pia Singh and Sarah Min contributed to this report.