Asia-Pacific equities opened mostly lower on Friday, tracking a third consecutive day of losses on Wall Street overnight as mounting fears over artificial intelligence disruption unsettled global investors.
By 11:50 am AEDT (12:50 am GMT), Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was down 1.1%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 1.6%. South Korea’s KOSPI 200 declined 0.6%.
In South Korea, fresh economic data showed mixed price dynamics. The country’s export price index, measured in won terms, rose 4.0% month on month and increased 7.8% year on year in January 2026.
Meanwhile, the import price index edged up 0.4% from the previous month but was down 1.2% compared with a year earlier.
The regional pullback mirrored the cautious tone in U.S. markets, where certain industries have come under sustained pressure this year following the release of new AI tools capable of replicating aspects of their operations or reducing demand for their services.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.3%, the S&P 500 lost 1.6%, and the Nasdaq Composite declined 2%.
Shares of trucking and logistics firms have been particularly affected, amid fears that AI-driven freight optimisation could eliminate inefficiencies and reduce reliance on intermediaries.
Real estate and financial stocks have also weakened, with commercial property brokers extending losses for a second consecutive session.
Commodity markets offered a mixed picture overnight. Brent crude settled 2.7% higher at $67.52 per barrel. In contrast, spot gold fell 3.2% to $4,922.08 per ounce.
In Asia, mainland Chinese equities were little changed on Thursday. The Shanghai Composite rose 0.1% to close at 4,134.0, while the CSI 300 added 0.1% to 4,719.6.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index declined 0.9% to 27,032.5, and India’s BSE Sensex slipped 0.7% to 83,674.9.
European markets closed mixed overnight. The UK’s FTSE 100 fell 0.7% to 10,402.4, despite touching a fresh intraday record of 10,535.8. Germany’s DAX ended flat at 24,852.7, while France’s CAC 40 gained 0.3% to 8,340.6.
