On Friday morning (27 February, 9:23 AM, GMT+7, Bangkok time), major indices in the Asia Pacific posted mixed results, with technology sectors underperforming after key U.S. indices declined overnight. The cautious market mood followed a sharp pullback in Nvidia, despite the company surpassing quarterly financial expectations.
Analysts attributed the tepid market reaction to elevated expectations for Nvidia’s continued outperformance. Hardika Singh of Fundstrat Global Advisors noted that the real issue for investors was not the results themselves, but concerns about whether Nvidia could maintain its competitive edge amid increasing competition and rapid change in the artificial intelligence sector.
Investors have favored companies in Asia that supply technology components critical to AI development, viewing them as key suppliers to the sector. In comparison, U.S. markets have seen increased volatility across various industries, as the disruptive potential of AI has sparked wider uncertainty—a trend sometimes referred to as the “AI scare trade.”
Japan’s NIKKEI dropped by 0.56% to 58,422.99. South Korea’s KOSPI slumped by 1.93% to 6,185.74, and Australia’s ASX 200 shrank by 0.04% to 9,171.60.
As for stocks in China, Shanghai’s SSEC climbed by 0.01% to 4,147.11. Hong Kong’s HSI rose by 0.28% to 26,454.81, while Shenzhen’s SZI dipped by 0.39% to 14,447.45.
The U.S. stock markets edged down on Thursday as NASDAQ decreased by 1.18% to 22,878.38. S&P 500 lost 0.54% to 6,908.86, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) added 0.03% to 49,499.20. VIX soared by 3.90% to 18.63.
As for commodities, oil prices settled lower on Thursday as traders monitored negotiations between the United States and Iran regarding the Middle Eastern nation’s nuclear activities. Concerns over future supply disruptions, should tensions intensify, influenced trading. Brent crude contracts ended the session down 10 cents, or 0.14%, at $70.75 per barrel. West Texas Intermediate crude declined by 21 cents, or 0.32%, to settle at $65.21. Discussions between the two countries are scheduled to continue into the following week.
This morning, Brent crude futures declined 21 cents, or 0.30%, to $70.54 per barrel, and the WTI fell 19 cents, or 0.29%, to $65.02 per barrel.
Meanwhile, gold futures advanced by 0.33% to $5,211.30 per Troy ounce.
