BUSINESS – Asian markets embarked on a choppy Friday as the last trading session of February unfolded, with major benchmarks feeling the tug of mixed global signals and renewed risk aversion, according to CNBC. The mood was neither euphoric nor despondent but rather a kaleidoscope of shifting investor priorities against a backdrop of tech volatility and geopolitical unease. U.S. markets had ended lower the previous session, dragged down by a sell-off in tech stocks such as Nvidia — even after a quarterly earnings beat that usually sparks optimism — and that slump rippled across Asia.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 wavered, dipping about 0.6% in early trade after having flirted with the 59,000 mark just a day earlier, evidence of how sensitive equities are to overnight overseas moves. South Korea’s KOSPI also lost ground, slipping over 1%, despite the fact that it had recently celebrated record levels on the strength of booming semiconductor and artificial intelligence sectors.
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Meanwhile, Indian indices felt similar pressure. The Nifty 50 found itself below key support levels, with benchmark stocks leading many sectors into the red save for a handful of technology names as foreign institutional investors continued to withdraw capital, weakening overall sentiment. The BSE Sensex tumbled hundreds of points, reflecting broad-based nervousness that also echoed global geopolitical concerns, including uncertainty surrounding U.S.–Iran tensions.
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Hong Kong’s Hang Seng and mainland China’s CSI 300 painted a more nuanced picture, with the former climbing modestly while the latter edged lower, reinforcing the patchwork character of regional stock action. Commodities and currencies danced to their own rhythms: the Indian rupee remained relatively stable while crude oil prices were shaped by complex geopolitical and supply expectations, contributing to the cautious outlook.
Market strategists noted a crucial interplay between profit-taking in risk assets like equities and safe-haven flows into bonds and precious metals as investors digested mixed signals from global earnings, inflation expectations, and central bank commentary. Despite recent highs in some Asian indices earlier in the week, Friday’s trading reinforced that markets remain finely balanced, sensitive to both local data and the persistent jolt from global tech stocks and geopolitical narratives.
