Business · Markets · 2 hrs ago
Asian shares fall as investors weigh tech earnings and Gulf tensions
Asian shares fell in early trading on Thursday despite recent gains on Wall Street.
The MSCI index of Asia-Pacific shares excluding Japan was down 0.2%, while South Korean stocks fell more than 1%.
Strong results from major US technology companies had helped lift the Nasdaq, with SpaceX reporting its first profit as a public company and Meta beating revenue expectations.
But Meta’s plan to issue non-voting shares renewed scrutiny of AI spending, as investors question whether huge investments in artificial intelligence can deliver lasting profits.
Uncertainty in the Gulf added to market unease, while Brent crude rose 1.1% to $110.03 a barrel, near a five-month high.
Investors now face more company results and an upcoming US Federal Reserve decision, alongside geopolitical risks and the November 3 US midterm elections.
The sources do not say how markets will move next.
Asian shares fell in early Thursday trading as investors weighed technology earnings against artificial-intelligence spending concerns and uncertainty in the Gulf.
South Korea led losses, with Korean shares down more than 1 per cent.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.2 per cent, while Japan’s Nikkei was down 0.4 per cent.
Brent crude rose 1.1 per cent to $110.03 a barrel amid regional tensions.
Overnight, the Nasdaq closed higher after better-than-expected earnings from major technology companies.
- Who
- Investors and Asian stock markets.
- What
- Asian shares fell as investors weighed technology earnings, concerns about AI spending and Gulf tensions.
- When
- Early trading on Thursday, October 22, 2026.
- Where
- Asian markets, including South Korea and Japan.
- Why
- Investors weighed upbeat technology earnings against AI spending concerns and uncertainty in the Gulf.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The Nasdaq led Wall Street to a higher close after better-than-expected earnings reports from major technology companies.
Asian shares fell in early trading, with South Korean shares down more than 1 per cent.
Brent crude rose 1.1 per cent to $110.03 a barrel amid Gulf tensions.
- MSCI Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan
- Down 0.2 per cent
- South Korean shares
- Down more than 1 per cent
- Japan’s Nikkei
- Down 0.4 per cent
- Brent crude
- $110.03 a barrel, up 1.1 per cent
- SpaceX
- Posted its first profit as a public company
3 sources
What people are saying
There's a lot of noise out there at the moment and investors are still digesting this morning's results