Asia shares falter as global tech sell-off spooks investors
Investors have been rotating out of technology giants and into cyclical stocks amid fears of AI disruptions to jobs
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[SYDNEY] Asian stocks faltered as concerns about the exploding costs of artificial intelligence (AI) investment hounded the tech sector, though Wall Street futures were trying to make a comeback as chip providers gained.
Google parent Alphabet reported solid results after the bell, but it was targeting capital expenditure of US$175 billion to US$185 billion this year, sharply above analysts’ estimates. Shares swung wildly, down over 6 per cent at one point -before settling just 0.4 per cent lower after-hours.
Investors have been rotating out of technology giants and into cyclical stocks amid fears of AI disruptions to jobs. The recent sell-off, triggered by a new legal tool from Anthropic’s Claude large language model, has wiped out about US$830 billion in market value since Jan 28.
Disappointing earnings results from Advanced Micro Devices did not help either, with the chipmaker tumbling 17 per cent overnight.
“That increase in (Alphabet) capex was absolutely enormous,” said Tony Sycamore, analyst at IG.
“At a time when everyone is hyper-sensitive and hyper-nervous about what’s going on with the software companies, with what’s going on with Capex and AI valuations... I would have thought the reaction would be quite negative, but it’s not flowing through to the Nasdaq futures.”
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The demand for more equipment spending helped chip giant Nvidia rally almost 2 per cent after the bell, partially reversing a 3.4 per cent tumble overnight. That likely lifted Nasdaq futures 0.6 per cent and S&P 500 0.4 per cent.
Still, MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan skidded 1 per cent. South Korea’s Kospi tumbled 1.7 per cent and Taiwanese shares lost 0.7 per cent
Japan’s Nikkei was flat.
Chinese blue chips lost 0.7 per cent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index slid 0.8 per cent.
Much attention is on Amazon’s results later in the day, as well as policy meetings from the Bank of England and the European Central Bank where rates are expected to be on hold.
Yen weak ahead of Japan election
The Japanese yen nursed a fourth straight day of losses ahead of a general election on Sunday (Feb 8) where polls are tipping a decisive victory for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, endorsing her spending ambitions that have raised concerns about the nation’s strained finances.
The US dollar was steady at 156.93 yen, having rallied 3 per cent from its low of 152.1 yen when chatter that the New York Federal Reserve conducted rate checks sent the Japanese currency flying high.
In the Treasuries market, the benchmark 10-year yield was flat at 4.2715 per cent. The US non-farm payrolls report for January has been pushed back from its scheduled release on Friday to Feb 11 due to a four-day partial government shutdown that has now ended.
Oil prices fell on Thursday after two straight days of gains as the US and Iran agreed to hold talks in Oman on Friday, despite differences about the agenda.
US West Texas Intermediate crude fell 1.4 per cent to US$64.23 per barrel, while Brent crude futures also dropped 1.4 per cent to US$68.47 per barrel.
Gold and silver prices were up a little in early trade after an epic implosion last Friday that saw the two plunging from lofty record highs.
Gold rose 0.3 per cent to US$4,976 an ounce while silver inched up 0.2 per cent to US$88.20 an ounce. REUTERS
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