Major stock markets in the Asia-Pacific region traded with losses on Monday's session as the situation in Ukraine kept further unfolding, with the UN confirming the start of the civilian evacuation from the Mariupol Azovstal steel plant. Furthermore, upon her visit to Kiev, the United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stated that the US will stand by Ukraine until their fight against the Russian forces is "done."
On the economic front, Japan's manufacturing sector contracted in April, with firms reporting that delivery delays and record input price rises weighed on business and were exacerbated by the ongoing Ukraine crisis and reinstated lockdowns in China.
Japanese Nikkei 225 was down 0.53% at 4:40 am CET as the dollar traded 0.17% higher against the yen, to go for 130.1200 at 4:36 am CET. The South Korean Kospi Composite also declined by 0.61% at 4:40 am CET, with Australia's S&P/ASX 200 falling 1.47% at the same time. China's Shanghai and Shenzhen Composites, as well as Hong Kong's Hang Seng, were closed due to the Labor Day holiday.
