Asian shares rose alongside US equity-index futures as strong earnings from AI leaders revived market optimism. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index climbed 0.9%, led by South Korea’s Kospi, which surged 3% on gains from SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics. Elice Inc. spiked 30% in Seoul after a rocky IPO debut, while Australia’s Nextdc Ltd. plunged 45% following a downward outlook revision.
US futures gained after SpaceX doubled net income estimates, lifting shares 8% in extended trading. Super Micro Computer beat expectations, surging 15% post-market. Nasdaq 100 futures rose 1%. Elon Musk confirmed SpaceX and Tesla formed special committees to explore a merger — a potential record-breaking tie-up.
Oil steadied, with Brent crude near $109.40 a barrel. Treasuries eased slightly, and the dollar strengthened modestly. Gold fell over 1% this week to around $4,120 an ounce. The 10-year Treasury yield climbed to 5.12%.
Market focus now shifts to Meta and Tesla earnings due Wednesday. Analysts say strong results could reignite AI enthusiasm. Yet billionaire Ken Griffin warns of an AI bubble, while Edward Jones’ Angelo Kourkafas calls current skepticism a healthy maturation of the theme.
Source: Bloomberg Markets · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing