Brent crude plunged 6.00% intraday to $82.98 a barrel.

On Aug 2, Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan signed a decree reappointing Nikol Pashinyan as prime minister after accepting the collective resignation of Pashinyan’s government. Pashinyan had said on July 30 the cabinet would resign on Aug 2 following the formation of a new parliament. Under the Armenian constitution the president appoints the prime minister nominated by the parliamentary majority.

China A-share storage-chip sector extended afternoon losses; Zhaoyi Innovation neared its daily limit-down, Puran Co. slid over 10%. Demingli, Baiwei Storage, Shannon Chip, Jiangbolong and Lanqi Technology were among the largest decliners.