Asia Stocks Fall Amid Ukraine Tension, China Economy Data

Asian stocks fell a second day and measures of equity volatility surged amid escalating geopolitical tension over Ukraine and after an official gauge of Chinese manufacturing dropped to an eight-month low.

Rio Tinto Ltd., the world’s second-largest mining firm, lost 1.6 percent in Sydney as raw-materials shares declined. Mazda Motor Corp., an automaker that gets 73 percent of sales overseas, tumbled 3.5 percent in Tokyo as the yen touched an almost one-month high against the dollar. China’s Shanghai Composite Index rose for a fourth day amid speculation lawmakers will announce measures to reform state-owned companies during an annual meeting this week.