Growth worries rattle Asian markets Monday 04:20 BST. Asian shares tumbled as investors dumped risky assets, rattled by growing concerns about the global economic recovery and the eurozone's future. The MSCI Asia Pacific index shed 1.4 per cent with Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Exchange falling 2 per cent to a fresh 2012 intraday low. Tokyo's broader Topix index slid 2.1 per cent to levels last seen in late 1983. South Korea's Kospi Composite index dropped 2.3 per cent while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index slid 1.6 per cent. Global Market Overview Chinese stocks were also weaker as the slowing mainland economy weighed on sentiment. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index slid 2 per cent while China's Shanghai Composite index dropped 1.5 per cent. Risk aversion was heightened by a US jobs reading on Friday that renewed concerns about a US economic relapse while China's slowing manufacturing production and dismal European reports on factory activity sparked concerns about global growth. The US jobless rate rose for the first time in nearly a year to 8.2 per cent in May, while the smallest increase in payrolls for a year fuelled concerns that the US recovery has lost momentum. "It does now appear that the global slowdown, and events in Europe in particular, are beginning to have a more marked impact on the US economy," said economists at Capital Economics. "We may even see more talk of the need for additional quantitative easing," Standard Chartered Bank said in a research note, ahead of the US Federal Reserve's policy meeting later this month. Investors are watching for several monetary policy meetings later this week, including the European Central Bank on Wednesday and the Bank of England on Thursday, for policy makers" response to the slowing global economy. Exporters lost ground across the board with Japanese companies taking an added hit from a stronger yen. Nikon tumbled 4.8 per cent and Sony fell 1.5 per cent while Mazda Motor sank 5.2 per cent and Toyota Motor shed 3 per cent. In Seoul, Samsung Electronics, the world's largest technology company by sales, slid 2.4 per cent, chipmaker SK Hynix fell 4.4 per cent and flat panel producer LG Display sank 5.2 per cent. Clothing chain Esprit Holdings dropped 4.1 per cent in Hong Kong while Li & Fung, a leading supplier to Walmart, gave up 4 per cent. Renesas Electronics bucked the trend, soaring 18.2 per cent in Tokyo after a Nikkei business daily report that the company was in talks with some of its shareholders over a possible restructuring plan that may include debt guarantees and the issuance of subordinated bonds. Fears of a eurozone break-up dragged down financial shares with Nomura Holdings off 3.2 per cent in Tokyo while in Hong Kong, China Life Insurance fell 3.8 per cent and AIA Group shed 4.6 per cent. In Sydney, Macquarie Group retreated 3 per cent and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group declined 2.1 per cent. KB Financial Group, South Korea's largest consumer lender by sales, slid 1.6 per cent in Seoul. Resource plays were under pressure as demand concerns pushed commodity prices lower. BHP Billiton, the world's biggest mining company by sales, lost 1.9 per cent in Sydney while Woodside Petroleum, Australia's second-largest oil producer, declined 2.2 per cent after crude oil prices fell. Fortescue Metals Group was off 3.9 per cent, and Rio Tinto surrendered 3.5 per cent. In Hong Kong, energy producer Cnooc sank 3.4 per cent and Aluminum Corp. of China tumbled 4.4 per cent. In Shanghai, PetroChina declined 1.3 per cent and Jiangxi Copper slid 2 per cent. JX Holdings and Inpex were each down 3.5 per cent in Tokyo. However, gold producers gained ground after the metal's biggest one-day rally since August in New York on Friday in response to heightened hopes of more quantitative easing from the Fed. Newcrest Mining jumped 3.2 per cent and Perseus Mining surged 9.4 per cent in Sydney. Investors flocked to safer havens such as Japanese government bonds, with the benchmark 10-year JGB yield falling below 0.8 per cent to its lowest since July 2003 while 10-year JGB futures prices surged to a 19-month high. In the currency markets, the yen was trading at Y78.18 per US dollar after hitting a three-and-a-half-month high of Y77.65 on Friday. It was at Y96.99 per euro after surging to its highest since late 2000 of around Y95.59 on Friday. In commodities markets, spot gold pulled back 0.5 per cent to $1,616.99 an ounce after Friday's jump. US crude futures slid 1 per cent to $82.35 a barrel while Brent dropped 0.6 per cent to $97.83.