Asia stocks down on China PMI; Nikkei plunges 7% as JGBs spike

Asian stock markets tumbled sharply on Thursday, with markets in China and Hong Kong coming under pressure after data showed that manufacturing activity in China contracted for the first time in seven months in May.

Shares in Japan plunged by the most since March 15, 2010, the day of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the country, Japanese government bond yields spiked.

Market sentiment was also dampened after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Wednesday the central bank could begin tapering its bond-buying program in the "next few meetings.

During late Asian trade, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was down 2.3%, Australia’s ASX/200 Index ended 2% lower, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index plummeted 7.3%.

Midway through the session, data showed that China’s HSBC Flash Purchasing Managers Index, the earliest indicator of the country's industrial activity, fell to a seven-month low of 49.6 in May from a final reading of 50.4 in April.

The data added to lingering concerns over a slowdown in the region’s largest economy.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng fell sharply, with commodity producers among the biggest losers on the index amid concerns over a slowdown in global demand.

Copper producer Jiangxi Copper Company fell 3.4%, Aluminum Corporation of China, or CHALCO, tumbled 4.4%, while oil producers PetroChina and Sinopec declined 3% and 3.5% respectively.

Financial sector stocks also contributed to losses, with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China shares down 2.4% and China Construction Bank shares losing 2.2%.

Index heavyweight HSBC Holdings saw shares slump 3%. Shares of HSBC command a 15% weighting on the Hong Kong benchmark, making it the single largest constituent on the index.
 
Meanwhile, in Tokyo, the Nikkei’s plunge coincided with a surge in ten-year Japanese government bond yields, which spiked to the highest level since August.

The unexpected spike prompted the Bank of Japan to offer JPY2 trillion in liquidity to calm investor’s jitters.

Japanese megabanks plunged on the news, with shares in the nation’s largest lender Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group tumbling 9.3%, while Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and Mizuno Financial Group retreated 7.8% and 6.3% respectively.

Brokerage firms Nomura Holdings and Daiwa Securities nosedived 8.2% and 11.7% apiece. 

Exporters were also on the back foot as the yen strengthened against the U.S. dollar, dampening the outlook for export earnings.

Automakers Mazda and Honda dropped 7.5% and 5.2% respectively, while Sony and Sharp fell 5.7% and 13.5% apiece.

Elsewhere, in Australia, the benchmark ASX/200 Index dropped sharply following the release of the downbeat Chinese manufacturing data.

Mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton declined 2% and 1% respectively, while Fortescue Metals Group slumped 2.8%. 

Australian commodity producers are heavily reliant on Chinese demand for raw materials.

The big four banks all fell, with Australia's biggest lender, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia down 3%, while ANZ Banking Group and Westpac Banking Group lost 5.3% and 4.5% respectively.

Looking ahead, European stock market futures pointed to heavy losses at the open.

The EURO STOXX 50 futures pointed to a loss of 1% at the open, France’s CAC 40 futures fell 1%, London’s FTSE 100 futures declined 1%, while Germany's DAX futures pointed to drop of 1.2% at the open.  

The euro zone was to release data on manufacturing and service sector activity later in the day.