Stock markets in the Asia-Pacific region (APR) are mostly declining during trading on Tuesday, with the exception of Japan.

Market participants continue to follow the developments around the armed conflict in Ukraine. The situation has already led to disruptions in supplies and air traffic between the continents. In addition, the conflict has also spurred a jump in energy prices, leading to increased inflationary pressures.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 0.2% by 8:45 Moscow time.

Stock quotes of Japanese automakers Subaru Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. are in the growth leaders, adding 4.4% and 4.2%, respectively. Shares of Mazda Motor Corp., Toyota Motor Corp. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. are up 2.5%, 2.3% and 1.8%, respectively.

Meanwhile, shares of Asia’s largest apparel retailer Fast Retailing Co. Ltd. fell 4.5%, game console maker Nintendo Co. Ltd. – by 1.3%.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was down 3.8% by 8:37 Moscow time, while Shanghai Composite was down 2.7%. Both indicators are near their lowest levels since June 2020 amid a worsening coronavirus situation in China, Trading Economics wrote.

The People’s Bank of China (NBK, the country’s central bank) injected 200 billion yuan ($31.35 billion) into the financial system on Tuesday as part of its medium-term lending program (MLF). According to a statement from the NBK, the rate on one-year loans under the MLF remained at 2.85% per annum. The purpose of this step is to ensure sufficient liquidity in the banking system, the central bank said in a statement.

China’s retail sales rose 6.7% year-on-year in January-February 2022, compared with analysts’ consensus forecast of 3% and the previous period’s figure of 1.7%. The data indicate the strongest growth in retail sales since June 2021, Trading Economics wrote.

Industrial production in the PRC grew by 7.5% in annualized terms in January-February 2022. Analysts on average forecasted growth of the indicator by 3.9%. The growth rate of the indicator became the highest since June 2021.

China’s urban unemployment rate was 5.5% in February 2022, up from 5.3% in January and 5.1% in December. The February figure was the highest in a year, Trading Economics wrote.

Shares of technology giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. are cheaper by 7.5%, Tencent Holdings Ltd. – by 6.3%.

South Korea’s Kospi was down 0.6% by 8:31 Moscow time.

The capitalization of electronics maker LG Corp. is down 1.9%. The share price of automaker Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd. falls by 1.5%, while Kia Corp.’s securities rise by 0.7%.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index is down 0.7%.

Meanwhile, share prices of mining Fortescue Metals Group (ASX:FMG) Ltd, BHP Group Ltd. and Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) Ltd. fell by 4.9%, 4.2% and 3.9%, respectively.