Dubai \u2013 Asian stock markets displayed varied performance on Friday, with investors closely analyzing the implications of Jensen Huang stepping down as chief executive officer of Nvidia and its possible ripple effects across the global artificial intelligence industry. Futures for US equities rose slightly despite earlier losses on Wall Street, following a drop in Nvidia shares by more than 4 percent after Huang\u2019s departure announcement.<\/p>\n
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index climbed 0.8 percent to reach 61283.16 points. Tokyo Electron semiconductor equipment shares gained 1.5 percent, while Kyocera Holdings memory chip stocks fell 2.5 percent. SoftBank Group, an investor in OpenAI, saw its shares decline by 5.2 percent, according to Associated Press data.<\/p>\n
South Korea\u2019s KOSPI composite index dropped 0.5 percent to 5317.05 points. Samsung Electronics, one of the country\u2019s largest firms by market capitalization, lost 0.7 percent, and SK Hynix memory chip stocks slid 2 percent. Meanwhile, Taiwan\u2019s TAIEX index rose 1.7 percent, with TSMC, the nation\u2019s largest chipmaker, gaining 0.9 percent.<\/p>\n
Huang\u2019s resignation has raised questions about the future trajectory of AI technology development. As a co-founder and key strategist behind Nvidia\u2019s AI dominance, his role was pivotal in the global AI boom. Some industry observers noted that his personal stature often overshadowed the company itself.<\/p>\n
The announcement came on Thursday after concerns emerged regarding his relationship with US national security issues. Colette Kress, the long-time chief financial officer, has assumed the role of acting CEO. Many Asian AI equipment companies rely heavily on the pace of US infrastructure development.<\/p>\n
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index fell 0.9 percent to 23786.48 points, while Shanghai Composite rose 0.2 percent to 3663.71 points. Australia\u2019s S&P\/ASX 200 declined 0.7 percent to 9084.80 points, and India\u2019s Sensex dropped 0.2 percent.<\/p>\n
US markets also saw declines, with the S&P 500 falling 0.4 percent, the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipping 0.4 percent, and the Nasdaq Composite dropping by the same margin. Conversely, AMD shares surged 5.9 percent during Thursday trading.<\/p>\n
Markets faced pressure from rising oil prices following comments by US President Donald Trump stating the US does not need an agreement with Iran. He posted on social media that the US has secured billions of dollars and control over their strait.<\/n><\/p>\n
Brent crude futures fell 0.1 percent to $95.70 per barrel, while WTI crude dropped 0.4 percent to $88.41 per barrel. The dollar strengthened to 159.91 yen against 159.84 yen previously, and the euro reached $1.1059 compared to $1.1055 in the previous session.<\/p>\n
This story was produced in the newsroom from the disclosed sources named above.<\/em><\/p>\n