AI spending fears hit Asian markets ahead of Tesla, Meta results

The Asia-Pacific region failed to follow Wall Street's local bounce: South Korea's Kospi plunged by 4.2%, and shares of key AI memory supplier SK Hynix fell to spring lows. Although the US semiconductor sector snapped its eight-day losing streak, the S&P 500's advance remained extremely narrow — roughly 65% of its constituents finished the session lower. Investors remain on edge ahead of quarterly reports from Tesla, Meta, IBM, and Netflix, which will test whether multibillion-dollar AI investments are delivering returns.

Meanwhile, the bond market stays under pressure: the 10-year US Treasury yield rose to about 5.13% as inflation risks remained elevated and demand for safe havens softened. In Europe, French government yields climbed amid unrest and a record budget deficit, adding further strain to the region. With InstaTrade, traders can monitor and trade major equity indices around these reports. Follow the link for more details.

Brent holds near 5-month highs amid Hormuz uncertainty

Brent crude continues trading near $111/bbl, close to its five-month peak. Market participants are weighing the risk of renewed attacks and escalation around the Strait of Hormuz against evidence that Gulf exporters are keeping flows broadly intact. Elevated energy prices stoke inflation worries and limit central banks' room to ease policy quickly.

Against this backdrop, gold is consolidating around $4,145/oz, lacking strong directional momentum due to high real US interest rates. Follow the link for more details.

iPhone Duo frenzy lifts Apple market cap above $5 trillion amid supply squeeze

Apple's first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo (starting at $2,000), triggered unprecedented pre-order demand. The initial allocation sold out within 30 minutes in both the US and China. Official delivery dates slipped into early 2027, and resellers listed devices for as much as $5,200. Wall Street cheered the consumer frenzy — Apple shares pushed toward record highs, with the company's market cap topping the $5.03 trillion mark.

However, industry analysts warn that this frenzy reflects supply constraints more than insatiable demand. Nikkei Asia and other sources report that production lines initially were only able to ship a few hundred units per day due to technical issues with the foldable hinge. As a result, 2026 output forecasts have already been cut to about 6 million units, suggesting empty virtual shelves are a function of logistics limits rather than Apple's ability to meet global demand. Follow the link for more details.