Asian markets ended mixed on Thursday due to a sharp sell-off in AI and chip shares in South Korea and Japan. The decline was driven by concerns that a Democratic-led US Congress could push for tighter regulation of artificial intelligence infrastructure in the US, which could curb investment in data centers and weaken demand for semiconductors. Meanwhile, the US dollar and Treasury yields slipped, and Brent crude prices plummeted on hopes that the eight-month-old US-Iran conflict could end soon. Chinese markets gained after Beijing’s latest intervention measures continued to support equities.
Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
Shanghai Composite | 3,689.91 | 3.74 | 0.10 |
Hang Seng | 24,796.98 | 877.48 | 3.67 |
Jakarta Composite | 5,030.26 | 110.49 | 2.20 |
KLSE Composite | 1,635.86 | 19.30 | 1.19 |
Nikkei 225 | 61,077.90 | -1,110.73 | -1.79 |
Straits Times | 5,296.25 | 27.62 | 0.52 |
KOSPI Composite | 5,383.80 | -300.00 | -5.28 |
Taiwan Weighted | 41,574.72 | -1,374.19 | -3.20 |