News about Asia

Asian shares were mixed on Monday as tech stock volatility persisted, with South Korea's Kospi up 1.8% to 5,768.01 but still more than 17% below its June peak above 9,000. Japan's Nikkei 225 lost 0.6%, while China's Shanghai Composite rose 0.4% after the economy grew 4.5% in the July-September quarter. Indonesia's index fell over 5% at one point after MSCI warned it could downgrade the country's emerging market status. Oil fell more than 2% after President Donald Trump waived sweeping sanctions on Russia, including energy, likely allowing more Russian energy exports. Brent crude dropped 2.5% to $107.16 a barrel.

Global food inflation is expected to accelerate in coming months and persist into 2027, as war-related shipping disruptions and El Nino-driven drought squeeze cereal supplies. In Jakarta, parking attendant Muhamad Yasin, 63, says rice, tempeh and tofu now cost 15,000 rupiah, up from 7,000 to 8,000, forcing him to cut back on meals. The World Bank found food prices outpaced headline inflation in 22 percent of the 150 countries it analysed in the September quarter, up from 14 percent. The FAO Food Price Index averaged 136 points in September, its highest since November 2022. Attacks on Black Sea grain infrastructure, Red Sea insecurity and the US-Israeli war on Iran have disrupted shipments and raised fuel and fertiliser costs, pushing wheat prices up more than 30 percent in 2026.

Asian shares were mixed Monday as volatility in technology stocks persisted, while U.S. futures edged higher ahead of another busy earnings week. South Korea's Kospi rose 1.1% to 5,729.58 but remains more than 18% lower over the past month and far below the 9,000 level it crossed at its June peak, while Japan's Nikkei slipped 0.8% and Indonesia's index plunged 5% to its lowest since 2020 after MSCI flagged a possible downgrade from emerging-market status. Oil fell more than 1% after Trump waived sweeping Russia sanctions, with Brent down 1.8% to $107.86 a barrel. Wall Street had closed lower Friday, with the S&P 500 down 1.1% and the Nasdaq sinking 2.1%. Oil remains elevated compared with levels before the Iran war, with Middle East supply risks still adding upward pressure.

Asian shares were mixed on Monday as volatility in technology stocks persisted, while U.S. equity futures edged higher. Oil fell more than 1% after President Donald Trump waived sweeping sanctions on Russia, including on Russian energy, with Brent down 1.8% to $107.86 per barrel. South Korea's Kospi rose 1.1% to 5,729.58 but is down more than 18% over the past month, while Japan's Nikkei 225 lost 0.8% to 64,799.03. Indonesia's stock index fell another 5% to its lowest since 2020, after plunging over 11% on Friday following an MSCI warning about a possible downgrade. Tech shares have been sold off recently over concerns about the sustainability of the AI boom, and on Friday the S&P 500 fell 1.1% and the Nasdaq sank 2.1%.

Asian stocks mostly fell on Monday, tracking a tech-heavy selloff on Wall Street driven by worries over the AI investment boom. Chipmakers and AI-linked firms remain under pressure over inflation, rising costs and when the huge sums invested in the sector will pay off. CoreWeave's stock has fallen around 30 percent this month as yields on some of its bonds surged, and the Nasdaq dropped more than two percent in the latest Wall Street session. Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore and Wellington all slipped while Hong Kong was closed, and China's third-quarter GDP grew 4.5 percent, slightly above forecasts. Oil held above $100 after surging more than three percent on Friday.

Asian shares fell on Monday, October 19, as worries about AI's huge funding needs weighed ahead of a busy earnings week, while the euro eased after rioting in France. Oil prices dropped after Trump waived some Russia sanctions, though he later said no final decision had been made, with Brent down 1.6% to US$108.06 a barrel; Iran also reported another tanker hit a mine in the Strait of Hormuz. Tech weakness hit Asia, with Japan's Nikkei down 2.0% and South Korea down 1.6%, after the PHLX Semiconductor Index shed 11.4% last week, its longest losing streak since 2008. Goldman Sachs estimates five AI hyperscalers will lift capital spending to about US$1.2 trillion next year, while AMP economist My Bui warned that rising yields raise financing costs. Gold rose 0.4% to US$4,181 an ounce as yields fell.

Asian stock markets fell on Monday as worries over the cost and returns of AI investment outweighed stronger-than-expected Chinese data and lower oil prices. Japan's Nikkei dropped 1.2% after losing 5.4% last week, South Korean shares slipped 0.4% after a weekly decline of over 14%, and Taiwan fell 1.4%. China's third-quarter GDP grew 4.5%, slightly above expectations, while the yuan strengthened to 6.6828 per dollar. Brent crude fell 1.7% to $107.95 a barrel after Trump waived certain Russia sanctions, though Iran reported another tanker hitting a mine in the Strait of Hormuz. Gold gained 0.4% to $4,181 an ounce as falling bond yields boosted demand, while Goldman Sachs estimates five major AI hyperscalers could raise combined capital expenditure to about $1.2 trillion next year.

Indonesia's benchmark index fell over 5% on Monday to its lowest since early October 2020, as fears grew that MSCI could downgrade the market. On Friday MSCI proposed reclassifying Indonesia from emerging-market to stand-alone status, with a final decision expected by June that hinges on governance and transparency improvements. Goldman Sachs estimates a full removal from MSCI's emerging-market indexes could trigger about $5.6 billion in passive outflows, with a further $2.7 billion at risk if FTSE Russell follows. The MSCI Indonesia Index has fallen 47% this year, foreign investors have net sold $5.1 billion, and foreign ownership has dropped from 27% in January to 25% in October. Goldman keeps an underweight rating, warns Indonesian equities may not have bottomed, and expects the central bank to raise rates twice more by 25 basis points in Q4 2026 and Q1 2027.

Asian share markets turned cautious on Monday as investors questioned whether AI's enormous funding needs are sustainable, ahead of a busy week of earnings announcements. The euro came under pressure after riots across France, while a drop in oil prices eased pressure on bond markets and US stock futures. The oil price fall followed Donald Trump's decision to waive certain sanctions on Russia, but his later remark that a final decision was still pending left investors uncertain about the direction of US policy.

Asia's AI trade is under pressure as a selloff in US tech stocks raises worries that higher financing costs could slow the data center spending that supports regional chipmakers and suppliers. Oil's surge to US$110 a barrel has added inflation concerns, while US chip shares had their longest rout since 2008. A Goldman Sachs basket of Asian AI hardware stocks fell 11 percent last week, with Samsung Electro-Mechanics down 23 percent and Unimicron off 14 percent. CoreWeave's shares dropped 25 percent in a week as its bonds signaled distress, and Gartner warned that more than US$3.5 trillion of AI infrastructure spending could be impaired by 2030. Still, there is little sign so far that orders have weakened.