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Informist, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026                                      Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

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Equity Alert: Asian mkts mixed; Nikkei, KOSPI dn after hitting fresh high Thu

 

MUMBAI--0818 IST--Indices across Asia were mixed in early trade. The South Korean KOSPI led the decline after reaching a record high in the previous session. Japanese indices were mixed, with the Nikkei 225 trading lower and the broader market index TOPIX First Section trading higher. Nikkei had recorded a fresh high in the previous session, while the TOPIC First Section notched a fresh high Friday. Concerns over valuations of tech companies and tensions in West Asia dampened sentiment in the region. 

 

A mediator from Oman in the US and Iran nuclear talks gave an optimistic readout on the latest round of negotiations. However, uncertainty still hangs over energy markets as there have been no signs that could avert a possibility of a US military strike, Reuters reported. 

 

"AI (artificial intelligence) and geopolitics remained front and centre for financial markets, prompting a retreat from risk assets and a shift towards safe havens," Mantas Vanagas, senior economist at Westpac Group, was quoted as saying by Reuters. "With no major breakthroughs announced in the US–Iran talks, crude markets remained in wait-and-see mode, continuing to price in a significant risk of military escalation between the two countries." 

 

Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi said in a post on X, "We have finished the day after significant progress in the negotiation between the United States and Iran. We will resume soon after consultation in the respective capitals. Discussions on a technical level will take place next week in Vienna. I am grateful to all concerned for their efforts: the negotiators, the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), and our hosts the Swiss government."

 

Markets in Japan were in line with its US counterparts after results from NVIDIA failed to impress investors despite beating expectations, Reuters reported. Data from the country showed the country's core CPI, excluding fresh food prices, rose 1.8% on year against a forecast of 1.7% in the year to February. This was the first time since October 2024 that the annual core inflation rate was below the Bank of Japan's target of 2%. The slowdown demonstrated the effect of fuel subsidies and the termination of the gasoline tax surcharge, with the wave of food price hikes also having run its course.

 

In China, the country's central bank Friday said it will scrap foreign exchange risk reserves on some forward contracts. This would reduce the cost of purchasing dollars, Reuters reported.

 

Following are the levels of key Asian indices at 0807 IST:

 

INDEX	LEVEL	CHANGE IN %
KOSPI	6195.47	(-)1.77
FTSE Singapore Straits Times	4962.37	(-)0.04
S&P/ASX 200 Index	9173.40	(-)0.02
Hang Seng Index	26431.66	0.19
IDX Composite	8192.81	(-)0.52
TAIEX	35499.69	0.24
CSI 300	4699.65	(-)0.58

 

(Akshat Saksena)

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Equity Alert: Most US indices end lower; NVIDIA results fail to impress

 

MUMBAI--0732 IST--Indices in the US fell Thursday, barring the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which ended flat. The results from NVIDIA Corp. failed to impress investors despite beating estimates, with weak market sentiment weighing on tech stocks. Tech stocks have recently gained but have largely been volatile due to concerns over spending on artificial intelligence and its impact on operations of other sectors, most notably the software services sector. 

 

Shares of NVIDIA ended 5.5% lower despite its December quarter earnings beating expectations. Other stocks of chip companies, such as Broadcom, Lam Research, Western Digital, and Applied Materials ended 3–5% lower. "The market is very much in ‘prove it' mode, and Nvidia just didn't quite ‘prove it' with these earnings," Tom Graff, Facet's chief investment officer, told CNBC while raising concerns over the chipmaker's deal with OpenAI. "Nvidia is dealing with the cross-section of high expectations priced into the stock, but also a skeptical market," Graff said. "That will probably make for a bumpy ride for at least the next couple of quarters." 

 

Shares of Salesforce rose 4?ter the company beat expectations for the December quarter. The company reported a 12% year-on-year rise in its revenue of $11.20 billion against an estimate of $11.18 billion by LSEG, CNBC reported. This was its fastest growth in two years. The company has also set aside $50 billion towards new share buybacks, citing low prices as a reason, CNBC said. Shares of the company have been a victim to concerns around the possible disruption of AI in the sector. 

 

Among other stocks, shares of tech company Trade Desk fell nearly 5?ter the company's revenue forecast failed to impress investors amid rising pressure from bigger rivals, Reuters reported. Shares of food and beverage manufacturer J.M. Smucker rose nearly 9?ter the company provided solid estimates for its profit and sales. Shares of C3.ai fell nearly 19?ter the company reported weaker-than-expected sales for the reporting quarter and said it would be laying off 26% of its workforce.

 

Following are the closing levels of US indices Thursday:  

 

Index	Level	Change in %
S&P 500	6908.86	(-)0.54
NASDAQ Composite	22878.38	(-)1.18
Dow Jones Industrial Average	49499.2	0.03

 

(Akshat Saksena)

 

US$1 = INR 90.905

IST, or Indian Standard Time, is five-and-a-half hours ahead of GMT

 

Edited by Tanima Banerjee

 

All prices from National Stock Exchange, unless otherwise specified.

All percentage changes for share prices are rounded off to the nearest whole number; percentage changes for index values are rounded off to one decimal place.

All times are Indian Standard Time.

 

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