Concerns about Global Economy have caused the stock markets to fall

As a result of rising prices in the United States, Asian stock markets have plunged, raising fears that the Federal Reserve may tighten its monetary policy to combat inflation. At the same time, the US dollar rose to 135 yen for the first time in more than two decades. It comes as official numbers released on Friday revealed that US inflation touched a 40-year high last month. Investors’ anxieties over global economic development were heightened by a warning in Beijing about Covid-19 infections.

The Nikkei 225 index in Japan was down 2.7 percent on Monday, while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong was down 2.7 percent. The Australian stock market was closed for the public holiday commemorating the Queen’s birthday. Brent crude has dropped roughly $1.70 to just over $120 per barrel, bringing global oil prices down. Official data released on Friday indicated that prices rose more than predicted in the United States last month, with rising energy and food expenses pushing inflation to its highest level since 1981.

After dropping in April, the annual inflation rate climbed to 8.6% in May, according to the Labor Department. This dashed hopes that inflation had reached a nadir, and instead alerted investors to the possibility that the Federal Reserve would respond more forcefully to the problem. On Wednesday, the central bank is expected to issue its next policy pronouncement. It has an 80% likelihood of raising its main interest rate by half a percentage point, according to the markets.

The reforms occurred as the cost of living has risen, putting pressure on officials to address the issue. The rising cost of gasoline has become a big issue in the United States, with the price of gasoline averaging more than $5 per gallon for the first time on Saturday, according to the American Automobile Association. Investors are concerned, however, that the Fed and other major central banks would take extreme measures to curb increasing prices, such as raising interest rates too high and too quickly, causing a sudden economic slowdown.

Investors are also concerned about the spread of Covid-19 in China, following the announcement on Sunday by Beijing’s most populous district of Chaoyang that three rounds of mass testing would be conducted to control a “ferocious” outbreak – 166 confirmed cases so far – that began last week at a bar in a nightlife and shopping area. This has sparked fears of future lockdowns, which might stifle the city’s economic resurgence just as restrictions were being relaxed.