
At 10:12am (2312 GMT Monday), the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 was down 155.7 points at 5,870.5, falling below the 6,000 point mark, which it breached last November for the first time in almost a decade.
Australia is entering its company reporting season and CMC Markets chief analyst Ric Spooner said this could help soften the blow if the current sell-off extends over coming weeks.
"The upcoming profit-reporting season could help the local market fall less than the US if the current sell-off extends," he said in a note.