Asian markets opened in red, more uncertainty prevails

Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng index opened 1.77% lower at 19,582.52 points, and mainland China's benchmark Shanghai Composite plunged 2.67% to 2,870.90 points when markets opened in China for the day.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index fell 3.29% to 17,133.00 points within the first hour of trade, and Tokyo's broader Topix gauge sliding 3.02% to 1,398.57 points. Japan's core machinery orders, which excludes ships and utility items, plunged 14.4% month-on-month in November, according to data from Japan's Cabinet Office on Thursday, after surging 10.7% in October. Analysts expected core machinery orders to slide 7.3% in November.

Korea's benchmark Kospi index fell 1.48% to 1,888.00 points on Thursday morning in Seoul after the Bank of Korea left the benchmark rate at 1.50% today.

The benchmark Australian S&P/ASX 200 index plunged 1.41% to 4,917.00 points in Sydney, and New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index tumbled 0.93% to 6,094.74 points on Thursday afternoon in Wellington.

Australian labour statistics on Thursday showed the unemployment rate holding at 5.8% in December, the equal lowest in a year-and-a-half, with net job growth sliding by 1,000. Analysts expected net 10,000 jobs lost and the unemployment rate to notch back up to 5.9%.