Asian Shares Tumble Amid Trump Victory Concerns and Rate Cut Speculations

Asian shares declined as investors weigh the impact of a potential Trump victory on China. Despite dovish comments from the Fed, the U.S. dollar strengthened. Meanwhile, energy and banking shares lifted Wall Street. Investors are adopting 'Trump-victory trades,' which could hurt Chinese equities as Beijing faces economic challenges.

Asian shares fell on Tuesday, with investors weighing the implications of a potential Trump presidency on China. Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar strengthened for a second consecutive day, even as dovish comments from the Federal Reserve fueled expectations of further rate cuts this year.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan dropped by 0.5%, following a 0.3% decline on Monday. Japan's stock market reopened after a public holiday, with the Nikkei index rising by 0.4%. This comes as investors are still processing the attempted assassination of former U.S. President Donald Trump, who remains a frontrunner for the November elections and has recently announced J.D. Vance as his vice-presidential pick.

Wall Street closed on a high note, with the Dow Jones reaching an all-time closing high, buoyed by energy and banking shares. Bitcoin surged 6%, gold moved closer to a record high, and the yield curve steepened amidst 'Trump-victory trades.' Chris Weston, head of research at Pepperstone, noted that J.D. Vance's stance on China could further dampen sentiment toward Chinese stocks.

The Shanghai Composite index decreased by 0.3%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index dropped 1.4%, following a 1.5% decline the previous day. Soft economic data from China has increased concerns that Beijing may miss its 5% growth target without substantial stimulus measures. Adding some optimism to Wall Street, Fed Chair Jerome Powell mentioned that recent U.S. inflation data suggests inflation is moving towards the Fed's target.

Markets are now fully pricing in a quarter-point rate cut from the Fed in September, with a total easing of 68 basis points expected by year-end. This tempered the U.S. dollar overnight, although investor interest in a Trump victory has buoyed the currency. The dollar index rose 0.1% to 104.34, and it strengthened by 0.3% against the Japanese yen to 158.55 per dollar.

In commodity markets, gold edged up 0.2% to $2,426.18 an ounce, nearing a two-month high. Oil prices dipped amid concerns of weakening demand from a slowing Chinese economy. Brent futures fell 0.2% to $84.72 a barrel, and U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude also slipped 0.2% to $81.77.

(With inputs from agencies.)