Investing.com - The Nikkei 225 slumped 3.67% on Wednesday as results came in on the U.S. presidential election with battleground states too close to call with markets in foreign exchange and commodities showing heightened volatility.
The S&P/ASX 200 dropped 2.37%, while the Shanghai Composite fell 0.65%. Dow futures shed 431 points on rising chances for a victory by Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton.
Earlier in China, CPI figures for October came in at a gain of 2.1% year-on-year as expected, with month-on-month data showing a fall of 0.1%, from the previous rise of 0.7%. PPI figures showed a 1.2% increases, more than the 0.8% gain seen year-on-year.
Also in Australia, Westpac consumer sentiment for November fell 1.1% compared with a previous reading of a 1.1% gain. In Japan, the current account for September recorded a ¥1.821 trillion surplus, narrower than the ¥1.96 trillion surplus seen unadjusted, while seasonally adjusted figure came in at ¥1.48 trillion, also narrower than the ¥1.98 trillion surplus seen.
Overnight, U.S. stocks were higher after the close on Tuesday, as gains in the Consumer Goods, Utilities and Telecoms sectors led shares higher.
At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.40% to hit a new 1-month high, while the S&P 500 index gained 0.38%, and the NASDAQ Composite index gained 0.53%.