An aerial view of Singapore’s skyline. Tong Thi Viet Phuong | Moment | Getty Images
Asia-Pacific markets mostly declined on Friday, mirroring Wall Street’s downturn as concerns over artificial intelligence (AI) disruption pushed the S&P 500 to its third consecutive day of losses. The increasing emergence of AI tools has raised alarms about their potential to automate tasks across various industries, threatening profitability for numerous companies.
Trucking and logistics companies were particularly impacted, with their stocks falling amid fears that AI advancements could significantly reduce freight inefficiencies, thereby diminishing demand for their services. Additionally, technology firms like Palantir Technologies and Autodesk experienced declines, reflecting continuous disruption concerns that have plagued the sector recently.
Real estate and financial stocks also faltered, with commercial real estate brokers witnessing extended losses for a second consecutive day. In light of these trends, Asian investors stayed vigilant in monitoring potential ripple effects on their markets. Notably, Taiwan, a significant player in the AI space, was shuttered for the Lunar New Year holiday.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 fell by 0.72% after briefly approaching the 58,000 mark on Thursday, while the Topix slipped by 0.92%. Both indexes were weighed down by losses in energy stocks. Indian IT companies also faced a tough day, with Tata Consultancy Services dropping 4.6% and Infosys declining by 6%. Meanwhile, Japanese tech firms Trend Micro and NS Solutions saw declines of 4.5% and 2.9%, respectively.
Chinese tech stocks shared the downward trend, with Alibaba decreasing by 2.2% and Baidu sliding nearly 4%. In a notable development, the tech giant Meituan lost 4.5%. Conversely, South Korea’s Kospi managed a modest gain of 0.31%, making it the only major index to close in positive territory, while the small-cap Kosdaq fell by 1.75%.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index dropped by 1.69%, primarily influenced by losses in basic materials stocks, and the mainland CSI 300 fell by 0.51%. However, not all companies followed the downward trend. Hong Kong-listed Zhipu AI, operating as Knowledge Atlas Technology, saw its shares soar by 16% following a surge of nearly 30% the previous day, driven by enthusiastic investor interest surrounding its newly launched open-source GLM-5 model. Another firm, MiniMax, gained over 11%, benefiting from momentum related to its upgraded M2.5 model and enhanced AI agent tools.
In a striking market development, shares of Beijing Haizhi Technology Group skyrocketed over 260% following a successful $97 million IPO. Meanwhile, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index closed down by 1.32%, reflecting similar trends across the region.
As fears of AI-induced disruptions continue to shape market sentiment, investors in the Asia-Pacific region are keenly observing broader economic signals that could impact various sectors moving forward.
Original Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/13/asia-markets-live-today-friday-nikkei-kospi-hang-seng-ai-fears.html
Category :
Tags:
Publish Date: 2026-02-13 11:07:00
