A man walks by the electronic stock board of a securities firm showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index, top left, dropped 127.54 points to 9,054.11 in Tokyo Wednesday, May 9, 2012. Asian stock markets fell Wednesday, spooked by disappointing U.S. corporate earnings and fears that political turmoil in debt-crippled Greece is pushing it closer to financial disaster. AP PHOTO/ITSUO INOUYE
HONG KONG—Asian markets and the euro fell Wednesday on fears Greece could leave the eurozone after the country’s second biggest party said it would rip up a bail-out deal following weekend elections.
The anti-austerity Syriza leftists said Sunday’s polls showed Greeks had rejected the strict cuts imposed as part of plans to clear up Athens’ mountain of debt.
Their warning came as European leaders began drawing up plans to introduce more growth measures after furious voters kicked out pro-austerity leaders elsewhere in the continent, including France.
Tokyo fell 1.49 percent, or 136.59 points, to 9,045.06 and Seoul dropped 0.85 percent, or 16.72 points, to 1,950.29.
Sydney slipped 0.91 percent, or 39.2 points, to 4,275.1 after the government unveiled a budget Tuesday aiming to reverse its deficit and put it in surplus by next year.
Hong Kong shed 0.75 percent, or 154.11 points, to 20,330.64 and Shanghai closed down 1.65 percent, or 40.29 points, at 2,408.59.
Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras said Tuesday his cabinet would reject all austerity measures imposed under an EU-IMF deal if he could form a new government.
“The public verdict has clearly nullified the loan agreement and (pledges) sent to Europe and the (International Monetary Fund),” he said in a televised address, in which he called the bail-out terms “barbaric”.
His comments fuelled expectations that Greece would be denied any fresh cash to service its debts, which would lead it to default and eventually tumble out of the eurozone.
Tsipras was asked to form a government after the biggest party, New Democracy, failed to do so following a battering for it and socialist Pasok – the nation’s two main groups which had pledged to continue with deep cuts – in Sunday’s vote.
He has been given three days to agree with other parties to form a government, although many analysts now expect another general election to be held next month.
“The failure of the Greek election to produce a new government provides some support to our view that Greece could leave the eurozone as soon as the end of this year,” London-based Capital Economics said in a note.
The concerns pressured the euro, which fell to $1.2974 and 103.33 yen in early European trade, compared with $1.3005 and 103.84 yen in New York late Tuesday. The dollar was at 79.64 yen, compared with 79.84 yen.
“The situation in Greece remains worrisome, especially with respect to the euro,” said Toshiyuki Kanayama, market analyst at Monex brokerage.
Events in Europe, which also saw Francois Hollande oust Nicolas Sarkozy as French president on a platform of pushing growth and less austerity, and similar results in local polls in Germany and Italy, have led to moves to rebalance economic policy.
EU president Herman Van Rompuy announced an informal meeting in May of leaders before a summit scheduled for June, while European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso urged agreement “that shifts the focus of spending to growth-enhancing measures”.
On Wall Street the Dow closed 0.59 percent lower, the S&P 500 fell 0.43 percent and the Nasdaq dropped 0.39 percent.
Oil prices eased Wednesday amid concerns on demand from Europe, although bargain-buying provided some support.
New York’s main contract, West Texas Intermediate crude for delivery in June, was down 30 cents at $96.71 per barrel while Brent North Sea crude for June shed 24 cents to $112.49.
Gold was at $1,585.50 an ounce at 1103 GMT, compared with $1,626.80 late Tuesday.
In other markets:
— Singapore closed down 1.06 percent, or 31.07 points, at 2,900.91.
Vehicle distributor Jardine Cycle and Carriage shed 2.74 percent to Sg$45.50 while Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp was down 0.56 percent at Sg$8.82.
— Taipei fell 0.93 percent, or 70.00 points, to 7,475.71.
Hon Hai Precision shed 1.36 percent to end at Tw$87.3 while Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co was 0.24 percent higher at Tw$84.6.
— Manila closed 0.52 percent lower, giving up 27.27 points to 5,214.79.
Philippine Long Distance Telephone shed 0.63 percent to 2,520 pesos, BDO Unibank slid 2.60 percent to 63.75 pesos and Megaworld rose 2.73 percent to 2.26 pesos.
— Wellington closed 0.21 percent, or 7.41 points, higher at 3,559.47.
Fletcher Building fell 0.64 percent to HK$6.18, Contact Energy was 1.22 percent lower at HK$4.84 and Telecom surged 2.72 percent to HK$2.64.
— Kuala Lumpur ended down 0.36 percent, or 5.70 points, at 1,584.90.
Plantation giant Sime Darby fell 0.10 percent to 9.77 ringgit, while budget carrier AirAsia lost 1.12 percent to 3.54 ringgit. CIMB Group Holdings inched up 0.13 percent to 7.64 ringgit.
— Jakarta fell 1.24 percent, or 52.01 points, to 4,129.06.
Telekomunikasi Indonesia dropped 4.82 percent to 7,900 rupiah, Aneka Tambang lost 1.79 percent to 1,650 rupiah and Astra International was 1.76 percent lower at 69,650 rupiah.
— Bangkok fell 1.93 percent, or 23.79 points, to 1,207.25.
— Mumbai dropped 0.40 percent, or 66.60 points, to 16,479.58.
India’s top property firm DLF fell 4.18 percent to 182.1 rupees while the country’s largest commercial bank State Bank of India fell 3.64 percent to 1,887.6.