BANGKOK/MUMBAI — Asian stocks slumped, with a rout in mainland equities triggering a halt for the rest of the day, as a worse-than-expected Chinese manufacturing report and escalating Middle East tension saw investors shun riskier assets.
“We were starting to see signs that the economic slowdown in China had run its course, so today’s report was a disappointment," said Masayuki Otani, Tokyo-based chief market strategist at Securities Japan Inc.