Your support helps us to tell the storySupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference. Asian markets shares were mixed on Tuesday, with trading closed in Tokyo and Seoul for New Year holidays.Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 in Sydney skidded 0.6% to 8,182.80 in early trading. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.5% to 20,140.91, while the Shanghai Composite lost 0.2% to 3,399.74 after Chinese manufacturing data seemed to show that Beijing’s stimulus measures have not done enough to boost the nation’s sluggish economy.On Monday, U.S. stocks closed broadly lower, with the S&P 500 falling 1.1% to 5,906.94, its third straight decline. Roughly 90% of stocks within the index lost ground. On the second-to-last day of 2024, the benchmark index was still on track for its second straight yearly gain of more than 20%.The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1% to 42,573.73, and the Nasdaq composite ended 1.2% lower, at 19,486.78.Big Tech companies were the heaviest weights on the market, worsening the slump. Apple and Microsoft fell 1.3%. Their pricey valuations tend to have an outsized impact on the broader market.Elsewhere among tech stocks, Meta Platforms dropped 1.4%, Netflix slipped 0.8% and Amazon fell 1.1%. The S&P 500’s technology and communication services sectors have been the market’s high flyers, notching gains of 37.1% and 39.9%, respectively, so far this year.Boeing fell 2.3% after one of its jets skidded off a runway in South Korea, killing 179 of the 181 people aboard. South Korea is inspecting all 737-800 aircraft operated by airlines in the country.The disaster was yet another blow for Boeing following a machinists strike, further safety problems with its troubled top-selling aircraft and a plunging stock price. Its shares have declined more than 30% this year.Airlines that fly Boeing jets wavered in the wake of the crash. United Airlines fell 1.4% and Delta Air Lines dropped 0.9%. Markets are nearing the close of a stellar year driven by a growing economy, solid consumer spending and a strong jobs market. Wall Street expects companies within the S&P 500 to report broad earnings growth of more than 9% fo
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