Asian markets mostly declined on Monday (October 19, 2026), mirroring a tech-heavy selloff on Wall Street driven by growing investor anxieties over the artificial intelligence investment boom, soaring inflation, and rising costs. Chipmakers and AI-linked firms came under renewed pressure amid questions over returns on capital expenditure, anxieties surrounding "neocloud" firm CoreWeave's debt, and rising bets on a second successive Federal Reserve interest rate hike following strong US inflation data.
Major regional indices fell at the open, including Tokyo's Nikkei 225 dropping 1.2%—dragged down by SoftBank, Advantest, and Tokyo Electron—while Seoul's Kospi dipped 0.2% due to losses in SK hynix and Samsung. Declines were also recorded in Taipei, Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore, and Wellington, while Hong Kong remained closed for a holiday.
Meanwhile, oil prices retreated slightly from Friday's surge above $100 per barrel, and currency markets saw the euro weaken amid ongoing cost-of-living protests and economic concerns in France.
— Daily Best News Desk • Fearless in the search for truth
Reported by National Desk • Edited by the Daily Best News desk. Send corrections to [email protected].
