Asian markets slipped further after a sell-off in AI-related stocks pushed US equities to their weakest session in nearly a month.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 1% to 49,001.50, led lower by technology shares. SoftBank dropped 4%, while chipmaker Tokyo Electron lost 3.2% and testing equipment specialist Advantest declined 3.3%. Honda slid 2.2% after reports that it is suspending production at some plants in Japan and China due to chip shortages.
South Korea’s Kospi also came under pressure, falling 1.5% to 3,994.51, dragged down by losses among electronics and automotive stocks. LG fell 3.1%, while Samsung eased 0.3%.
Chinese markets were mixed. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slipped 0.3% to 25,385.93, while the Shanghai Composite edged 0.3% higher to 3,880.49. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 was little changed at 8,588.20.
Attention now turns to US inflation data due later on Thursday, which is expected to show consumer prices still rising faster than the Federal Reserve’s 2% target.
Overnight on Wall Street, renewed concerns about an AI bubble drove a sharp sell-off in technology stocks. The Nasdaq Composite fell 1.8%, the S&P 500 dropped 1.2%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.5%.
