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Tech Rout Blunts Asian Stock Markets

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Asian stock markets largely fell back on Friday, as global caution on hefty tech-sector capital outlays led to risk-off retreats.

In addition, Brent crude oil traded at $85.91 a barrel, up 2% during Asian market hours.

Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo finished in the red, as did Taiwan. Other regional exchanges were mixed, while trading floors were closed in Seoul.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened lower on Wall Street cues and declined thereafter, finishing off 4% as traders eschewed semiconductor shares.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 2,694.42 to 64,141.12, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 151 to 71.

Leading the upside was software tester SHIFT, up 9.4% after reporting earnings and issuing guidance. Memory chip maker Kioxia declined 16.1%, following a 15% decline on Thursday.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened lower and could not recover, closing down 1.6% in the worldwide tech-wreck.

The broad gauge Hang Seng fell 446.36 to 24,562.24, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 67 to 24. The Hang Seng TECH Index lost 4.4% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index fell 1.5%.

Leading the upside was utility holding company Power Assets, gaining 3%, while Semiconductor Manufacturing International declined 10%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite fell 3.1% to 3,764.15.

On the other regional exchanges, the Taiwan TWSE declined 6.5%; the Australian ASX 200 declined 0.5%; the Singapore Straits Times Index fell 0.5%, but the Thai Set rose 0.2%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was up 1.4%.

The MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index fell 2.8% on the day.

In other news, foreign direct investment (FDI) into Thailand struck $5.58 billon in the first six months of 2026, up 68% on the year, reported the Department of Business Development.

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Asia Markets

Update: US Equity Indexes Drop as Chipmakers Push Technology Lower, Iran Warns on Red Sea Chokepoint

(Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data, and geopolitical news from the first paragraph.)US equity indexes slumped as a sell-off in chipmakers hit technology, and Iran warned its allies would close the Red Sea crude oil chokepoint if President Donald Trump orders an attack on Tehran's civilian infrastructure.The Nasdaq declined 1.5% to 25,881.95, the S&P 500 fell 0.5% to 7,533.77, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.2% to 52,552.97 on Thursday. Communication services and technology led decliners, while consumer staples, health care, and real estate topped the gainers.Shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) slid 2.3% after the firm earmarked an additional $100 billion to increase its chipmaking capacity in the US, raising its total planned investment to $265 billion, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing a US official. Taiwan Semiconductor also reported Q2 results on Thursday, with year-over-year earnings and net revenue rising and Q3 sales guidance beating consensus.Among stocks with market capitalization exceeding $200 billion each, 13 out of the bottom 20 names were from the technology sector, according to data compiled by Finviz. Almost half of the decliners were semiconductor firms, the data showed. The worst performer was SanDisk (SNDK), down about 12.6%.In geopolitical news, the US military launched a sixth consecutive night of strikes on Iran, with the country's media reporting explosions on Qeshm Island, Bandar Abbas, and Chabahar, according to Al Jazeera, a Middle Eastern broadcaster.The Iranian military has warned "all infrastructure in the region will be crushed under steel blows" if the US carries out its threat to attack Iran's civilian sites, the Al Jazeera report said. Iran has asked Yemen's Houthi movement to stand ready to close the Red Sea oil route if the US strikes Iranian power infrastructure, Reuters reported, citing three sources.Total volumes of petroleum transiting Bab el-Mandeb amounted to 7.4 million barrels per day in June, or about 7% of global oil output, up from 4.2 million bpd a year ago, MarineLink reported, citing Kpler data.The front-month US West Texas Intermediate fell 0.7% to $79.08 a barrel, hovering around its highest in about a month amid a rally that began after the US renewed strikes on Iran a week ago. North Sea Brent futures retreated 0.7% to $84.34 a barrel, close to its month-high.Iraqi crude loadings more than doubled to average roughly 1.2 million barrels per day in the first half of July, Reuters reported, citing Kpler data and a source with direct knowledge of the flows, as exports accelerated following months of restricted shipments.Most US Treasury yields rose, with the 10-year up 1.2 basis points to 4.56% and the two-year climbing 1.7 basis points to 4.15%.In precious metal markets, gold futures retreated 1.8% to $3,980.5, and silver futures dropped 2.8% to $55.84.In economic news, US retail sales rose by 0.2% in June, as expected in a Bloomberg-compiled poll and following the previous month's revised 1.0% increase.US initial jobless claims fell to a level of 208,000 in the week ended July 11 from an upwardly revised 216,000 level in the previous week, compared with expectations for a level of 217,000 in a survey of analysts compiled by Bloomberg.

Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$SNDK$TSM
Asia Markets

Update: Technology Slide Pushes Nasdaq, S&P 500 Lower

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Dow JonesNasdaq CompositeS&P 500$SNDK$TSM$UNH
Asia Markets

Exchange-Traded Funds, US Equities Mixed After Midday

Broad Market IndicatorsBroad-market exchange-traded fund IWM edged higher and IVV fell. Actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) dropped 1.4%.US equity indexes traded mixed as a sell-off in chipmakers pushed technology lower, while UnitedHealth's (UNH) strong Q2 results helped lift the Dow Jones Industrial Average.EnergyIShares US Energy ETF (IYE) and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) each added 0.8%.TechnologyThe State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) fell 2.3%; iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) shed 1.8%, and iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) declined 2.1%.The State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) tumbled 5.7, and iShares Semiconductor (SOXX) fell 4.3%.FinancialThe State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) rose 0.2%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) advanced 0.5%, and its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), declined 0.6%.CommoditiesCrude oil slipped 0.9%, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) fell 1.7%. Natural gas dropped 2.8%, and the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) lost 2.9%.Gold on Comex fell 1.3%, and the State Street SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) declined 1.7%. Silver dropped 1.8%, and iShares Silver Trust (SLV) slumped 3% lower.ConsumerThe State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) added 2.4%. The Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) rose 2.3%, and iShares Dow Jones US Consumer Goods (IYK) gained 2.4%.The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) rose 0.5%. VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) added 1.9%, and the State Street SPDR S&P Retail (XRT) advanced 1.8%.HealthcareThe State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) rose 2%, iShares US Healthcare (IYH) added 1.8%, and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) gained 1.6%. IShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) fell 0.5%.IndustrialThe State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) slipped 0.2%. Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) fell, and iShares US Industrials (IYJ) edged higher.CryptocurrencyIn midday activity, bitcoin (BTC-USD) fell 0.8%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, ProShares Bitcoin ETF (BITO) shed 0.8%, ProShares Ether ETF (EETH) was down 2.6%, and ProShares Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was 1.2% lower.

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