2018.02.0603:31:00UTC+00Asian Stocks Join Global Stock Rout

Asian stock indices tumbled as U.S. stock indexes suffered heavy losses on Tuesday after the massive declines seen on Wall Street in the prior session.

Japan's Nikkei 225 was down 6.72 percent or 1,522.70 points, as stocks across sectors retreated. Carmakers, financials and technology names were lower in the morning. SoftBank group fell 7.94 percent, Fanuc Manufacturing declined 7.86 percent. Fast Retailing edged down 8.14 percent.

In South Korea, the Kospi edged down 2.61 percent. Blue chip tech stocks traded lower, with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix falling 2.21 percent and 1.57 percent respectively in the session. Among automakers, Hyundai Motor traded briefly in the green territory but later fell 2.2 percent.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 3.65 percent on broad-based selling across all sectors. The energy subindex underperformed, declining 5.1 percent as energy-related stocks were weighed down by the downward movement of oil prices.

The Hang Seng Index fell 4.94 percent as stocks recorded losses across sectors. Mainland stocks, which had rallied in the prior session, fell the region's downward trend on Tuesday. The Shanghai composite fell 2.15 percent and the Shenzhen composite shed 2.71 percent.