Asian equities retreated from a record after concerns over the impact of artificial intelligence on some companies spurred a selloff in US technology stocks. Gold and silver recouped some of their losses from the prior session. The MSCI Index fell 1% — the first decline in six sessions — with roughly three stocks dropping for every one that advanced. Still, the gauge is set for its best weekly gain since September 2024. The Kospi Index in South Korea edged up, bucking the overall weakness. Some signs emerged that the cross-asset selloff may be easing. Applied Materials Inc. surged 13% in late trading after an upbeat sales forecast. Gold rose 1.2% to recover some of Thursday’s losses when algorithmic traders had appeared to amplify the yellow metal’s drop. Bitcoin also gained after four days of losses. Treasuries gave back some of Thursday’s gains, when a risk-off mood in New York drove investors into the perceived safety of US government bonds. Yields on the benchmark 10-year rose one basis point to 4.11% ahead of Friday’s US inflation data. The sharp swings in US trading reflected the rising stakes tied to the AI boom and the unpredictable ripple effects across sectors, regions and asset classes. The moves also highlighted how quickly shifts in sentiment around AI can reverberate far beyond the technology sector with the emergence of the so-called AI scare trade. Thursday’s losses erased the year-to-date gains for the S&P 500, which is now down 0.2%. In comparison, the MSCI Asia Pacific Index is up about 12% this year, building on gains in each of the past three years. Also, Asian technology shares have performed well with MSCI’s gauge for the sector up 21%. The Kospi Index, a poster child for AI investments, has gained 31% and is the world’s best-performing stock market this year. Meanwhile, yield premiums on Asian investment-grade dollar bonds widened about two basis points on Friday, according to credit traders. If that move holds, it would be the biggest increase since October and track a similar rise in spreads on US peers, according to Bloomberg indexes. In commodities, oil headed for the first back-to-back weekly drop this year on a risk-off tone in wider markets. Elsewhere, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. upgraded Japan’s stocks on an expected boost from political stability. The key event for traders on Friday will be the release of US January inflation data. The median forecast is predicting a year-over-year increase of 2.5% for the core consumer price index, which strips out food and energy. Traders continued to assign little chance that Federal Reserve officials will lower rates when they meet next in March, with a July cut fully priced in. The inflation print has gained added significance after Wednesday’s jobs numbers indicated strength in the US economy. That prompted traders to pare bets on interest-rate cuts by the Fed. Money markets pushed back bets for an easing to July from June previously. Markets are complacent on the outlook for US inflation, making trades that pay out if price pressures climb look attractive, said Benjamin Wiltshire at Citigroup Inc. Investors may be underestimating the resilience of the US consumer and market expectations for inflation are likely to be revised slightly higher, he noted. US After Hours CRSR +23.8%, ANET +16.7%, RIVN +15.6%, CART +15.1%, AMAT +14%, BROS +14%, SPSC +13.1% higher on earnings; COHU -20.7%, PINS -18.1%, AENT -17.2%, NUS -16.2%, DKNG -15.1%, CALY -12.7% lower on earnings.
Nikkei -1.21% Hang Seng -1.89% CSI -1.18% Shanghai -1.17% Shenzen -0.90%
Eur$ 1.1862 CNH 6.9025 CNY 6.9053 JPY 153.20 GBP 1.3607 CHF 0.7701 RUB 77.2155 TRY 43.7379 WTI$ 62.66 -0.29% Gold 4;969 +0.96% BTC 66,390 +0.93% ETH 1,941 +1%
S&P -0.28% Nasdaq -0.354% EuroStoxx +0.02% FTSE +0.12% Dax +0.10% SMI +0.06%
Macro :
- Logistics Stocks Sink as AI Fear Trade Finds Latest Victim (2)
- US Traded More Than $1b in Venezuelan Oil, Expects $5b More: NBC
- US Traded More Than $1b in Venezuelan Oil, Expects $5b More: NBC
- Steel Tariffs Will Drive M&A in US Industry, Wells Fargo Says
- Bitcoin Sinks as Much as 4%, Trades Back Into Support Zone
- Trump plans to roll back tariffs on metal and aluminium goods - FT
- US and Taiwan sign trade agreement to seal chip investment - FT
- Aluminum Drops After Report US Will Scale Back Import Tariffs
Keep an eye on :
Keep an eye on :
- AED BB : Aedifica FY EPRA EPS Beats Estimates
- ABNB US : Airbnb Gains as 1Q Revenue Forecast Beats Estimate: Street Wrap
- AC CN : Air Canada 4Q Operating Revenue Beats Estimates
- AF FP : Air France-KLM warns EU climate rules would halve Asia flights
- RIME US : Former Karaoke Company Drags Logistics Into the ‘AI Scare Trade’ - WSJ Article
- AMZN US : Italy Tax Police Search Amazon Offices in New Probe: Reuters
- Anthropic IPO : Anthropic raises $30bn at a $350bn valuation in latest funding round - FT
- CALY US : Callaway Golf 2026 Net Revenue Forecast Misses Estimates
- CAP FP : Capgemini 4Q Sales at Constant Exchange Rates Beat Estimatesn; Capgemini Says AI Pivot, Sovereignty Push Will Drive Growth
- C US : Citi Lifts CEO Fraser’s Pay 22% to $42 Million After Stock Surge
- CHRS US : Coherus Oncology Offering of 28.6m Shares Prices at $1.75/Share
- COIN US : Coinbase 4Q Total Revenue Misses Estimates: Snapshot (1), Coinbase Posts $667 Million Net Loss, Revenue Declines 20%
- DKNG US : *DRAFTKINGS SEES 2026 REV. $6.5B TO $6.9B, EST. $7.32B, DraftKings Plunges on ‘Very Soft’ Full-Year Guide: Street Wrap
- LLY US : Eli Lilly Gets FTC Clearance for Ventyx Biosciences Acquisition
- ELK NO : Elkem 4Q Ebitda Beats Estimates, Elkem Agrees to Sell Majority of Silicones Unit to Bluestar
- ETL FP : Eutelsat 1H Revenue Meets Estimates
- EXPE US : Expedia Sees 2026 Gross Bookings $127B to $129B, Est. $127.17B
- FING SS : Fingerprint Cards 4Q Revenue SEK23.8M
- FLUT US : *FLUTTER SHARE SLIP 2.4% IN EXTENDED TRADING
- GOOGL US : Google warns EU against ‘erecting walls’ in tech sovereignty push
- GOOGL US : Waymo Tries Finding DoorDash Drivers to Shut Open Robotaxi Doors
- HEIJM NA : Heijmans Sees 2026 Revenue About EU3.1B, Est. EU2.99B
- RMS FP : Hermès Sees Luxury Growth Increasingly Driven by the Stock Market, as Q4 Sales Gain 9.8% - WWD
- 7267 JP :Honda Mulls Supplying HV Engines to Nissan for US Market: Nikkei
- HUM US : Humana Is Said to Near $1 Billion Deal for Florida’s MaxHealth
- HUH1V FH : Huhtamaki 4Q Adjusted Ebit Beats Estimates
- ITERA NO : Itera 4Q Revenue Under Estimates
- JEN GY : Jenoptik Sees Rise in Revenue, Improving Ebitda Margin in 2026
- KALMAR FH : Kalmar 4Q Order Intake EU511M
- KESKOB FH : Kesko Jan. Comparable Sales +0.8%
- MSFT US : Microsoft, Aramco Sign MoU to Help Advance Industrial AI
- MSFT US : Mustafa Suleyman plots AI ‘self-sufficiency’ as Microsoft loosens OpenAI ties
- MOBN SW : Mobimo FY Profit CHF192.9M Vs. CHF125.2M Y/y
- NWG LN : NatWest 4Q Pretax Operating Profit Beats Estimates
- NHY NO : Norsk Hydro 4Q Adjusted Ebitda Beats Estimates
- NAS NO : Norwegian Air 4Q Operating Revenue Beats Estimates
- NOVN SW : Novartis Vanrafia Shows Slowing Decline in Kidney Function
- NUS US : Nu Skin 4Q Adjusted EPS 29C Vs. 38C Y/y Nu Skin 4Q Adjusted EPS 29C Vs. 38C Y/y
- OKYO US : Okyo Pharma Offers Shares via Piper Sandler
- OR FP : L’Oreal ADRs Slide as 4Q Like-for-Like Sales, Luxe Unit Miss
- OR FP : L’Oreal ADRs Slide as 4Q Like-for-Like Sales, Luxe Unit Miss
- OVH FP : OVHcloud Moves 1H26 Results Publication Forward to April 9
- PRS SM : Prisa Ends Buy-Back Program After Acquiring 1 Million Shares
- RGNX US : Regenxbio Files for Up to $150 million Shares ATM Offering
- RIVN US : Rivian Offers Investors Hope It Can Withstand a Bleak EV Market
- SFER IM : Ferragamo Family May Tap Investors for Hotels Business: Corriere
- SAF FP : Safran Lifts 2028 Targets, Shrugging Off Tariffs and Tax Drag
- SHA GY : Reuters: How Schaeffler's bet on humanoids is beating auto sector blues https://t.co/QDFOY6Xx4M https://t.co/QDFOY6Xx4M
- SIKA SW : Sika Buys Turkish Adhesives Maker Akkim; No Deal Terms Disclosed
- 9984 JP : How SoftBank’s OpenAI Bet Could Benefit CEO Son - The Information
- TE FP : Technip Energies Gets Contract For SkyNRG’s SAF Project
- TTALO FH : Terveystalo 4Q Revenue Misses Estimates
- TFI FP : TF1 4Q Revenue Meets Estimates
- TOM NO : Tomra FY Dividend per Share NOK2.15
- UBI FP : Ubisoft 3Q Net Bookings Beats Estimates
- WBD US : Paramount In Talks to Nominate Pentwater CEO to WBD Board: FT
- WYNN US : Wynn Resorts Shares Decline as 4Q EPS Trails Estimate