Tokyo, Nov 12 (AP) Asian shares mostly gained in cautious trading on Wednesday after most US stocks rose, settling back to where they were before last week’s swoon over the future of artificial intelligence.
US futures edged higher while oil prices declined. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 added 0.4 per cent to finish at 51,063.31.
SoftBank Group’s shares fell 3.5 per cent, plunging as much as 9 per cent earlier in the day, after it said on Tuesday that it sold its entire stake in the AI chip company Nvidia for USD 5.83 billion last month, raising funds for other investments.
A big question has been whether investors will push the frenzy around AI stocks further. Their sensational growth has been one of the top reasons the US market has hit records despite a slowing job market and still-high inflation. But their prices have shot so high that critics say they’re reminiscent of the 2000 dot-com bubble, which ultimately burst and dragged the S&P 500 down by nearly half.
Elsewhere in Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.8 per cent to 26,913.90, while the Shanghai Composite edged up less than 0.1 per cent to 4,006.17.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.2 per cent to 8,799.50. South Korea’s Kospi added 1.1 per cent to 4,151.36.
On Tuesday, the S&P 500 added 0.2 per cent to 6,846.61. It’s been bouncing around lately, coming off Monday’s vigorous rebound following its first losing week in four.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 1.2 per cent, to a record close of 47,927.96, surpassing its prior all-time high set two weeks ago. The Nasdaq composite lagged the market as Nvidia slipped 3 per cent due to continued concerns that stocks caught up in the artificial-intelligence frenzy may have become too expensive. The Nasdaq dipped 0.3 per cent to 23,468.30.
Helping to lead the market was Paramount Skydance, whose shares jumped 9.8 per cent even though the entertainment giant reported revenue and profit for the latest quarter that fell short of Wall Street’s expectations. It was the company’s first earnings report since Skydance closed its acquisition of Paramount in early August.
Close behind was FedEx, which climbed 5.4 per cent after it increased its forecast for profit in the current quarter. Instead of expecting growth from just the summer, the delivery company now also expects profit to rise in this year’s holiday-shopping season from last year’s.
In the US bond market, trading was closed for the Veterans Day holiday.
What’s making the Federal Reserve’s job potentially more difficult is that the US government’s shutdown has delayed important updates on jobs and other areas of the economy. The Senate has made moves to end what’s become the longest-ever shutdown, but it’s not assured.
In energy trading, benchmark US crude declined 21 cents to USD 60.83 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, lost 21 cents to USD 64.95 a barrel.
In currency trading, the US dollar edged up to 154.67 Japanese yen from 154.04 yen. The euro cost USD 1.1583, down from USD 1.1587. (AP) SKS SKS
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