Asian Markets Fall in Unison, Kospi Sinks 3.29%
Asian stock markets opened lower on Tuesday (13 October 2026), with South Korea recording the steepest decline. The falls came as investors prepared to assess earnings reports from major US companies and several important economic indicators due this week.
According to CNBC, Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 1.20%, while the Topix was little changed. In South Korea, the Kospi dropped 3.29% at the open, while the small-cap Kosdaq declined 2.49%.
Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.33%. Asian markets were trading ahead of earnings reports from several major US banks, which could offer insight into the state of the economy and influence global market sentiment.
JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and Wells Fargo were scheduled to report before the US market opened on Tuesday local time. Health insurer UnitedHealth, a member of the Dow Jones index, was also due to announce its results.
These early reports are expected to help set the tone for this quarter’s earnings season, amid high market expectations. FactSet data show analysts forecast that earnings at S&P 500 companies will grow by nearly 30% from the same period a year earlier, on average.
Ameriprise chief market strategist Anthony Saglimbene said three industry groups were likely to shape how investors assess this earnings season: banks, as a gauge of consumer and business health; large technology companies, for indications of how artificial intelligence (AI) is being monetised; and the energy sector, to assess whether profits supported by oil prices can be sustained.
Saglimbene said investors would also monitor the condition of consumers and businesses amid higher interest rates, rising costs and concerns about the macroeconomic outlook. These factors are expected to draw attention across sectors throughout the earnings season.
On the economic front, investors were also due to examine US existing-home sales data on Tuesday and comments from Federal Reserve officials Christopher Waller, Tom Barkin and Susan Collins. US inflation data for September, due later this week, could affect movements in US Treasury yields.
Attention to inflation data has increased after Treasury yields recently reached their highest levels in decades. The US bond market was closed on Monday local time for the Indigenous Peoples’ Day holiday.
On Wall Street, trading ended mixed on Monday. The Dow Jones closed more than 195 points higher, while pressure on memory stocks pushed the Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 into negative territory.