Asian stock markets ended 2018 with negative returns in dollar terms, weighed down by trade tensions and slowing profit growth.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 16 per cent this year in its sharpest drop since 2011.
Chinese equities were the top losers in the region, shedding about 29 per cent in dollar terms, followed by Pakistan and South Korea, according to Reuters news agency.
This year’s sharp declines have made regional stocks cheaper which could prompt bargain-hunting, some analysts said.
South Korean equities were the cheapest in the region with a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 8.8, followed by China’s 9.9, Refinitiv data showed.