Asian markets are notching fresh grim milestones as the artificial intelligence selloff deepened following the Democrats’ decisive midterm election win.
Asian stocks recovered almost all early losses driven by a Democratic sweep of Congress, as traders wagered that fears of increased US scrutiny of the AI industry were overdone.
Mukesh Ambani’s ability to raise billions of dollars and win over investors has endured for decades. He showed it once again with Jio Platforms Ltd., which pulled off India’s biggest-ever initial public offering and a strong trading debut despite a difficult market backdrop.
Infosys Ltd. was downgraded by at least four analysts in a single day after India’s second-largest software exporter cut its annual sales forecast, deepening concerns over disruption from artificial intelligence.
A deepening selloff in US technology stocks is exposing a new vulnerability in Asia’s artificial intelligence trade: mounting financing costs could choke off the spending needed to sustain the boom, threatening earnings across a supply chain that has powered the region’s stock-market rally.
A selloff in Singapore bank shares deepened after JPMorgan Chase & Co. warned that surging long bond yields will hurt third-quarter earnings for Southeast Asian lenders.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its target for Singapore stocks as robust economic growth and a narrowing valuation gap with developed-market peers bolster their outlook.
Pakistan’s fintech group Abhi is preparing to launch an initial public offering of its microlender this month, according to its founder, as it seeks to capitalize on the nation’s busiest year for listings.
Cooking oil manufacturer Agro Processors & Atmospheric Gases Ltd. is planning an initial public offering in Pakistan this month to finance a plant expansion, adding to a record year for listings in the country.
An Agro Processors plant. Agro Processors & Atmospheric Gases Ltd.
Telenor ASA is considering selling its controlling stake in its digital bank in Pakistan, people familiar with the matter said, a move that would mark its full exit from the South Asian nation.
The UK and France have finalized plans to lead a multinational mine-clearing mission in the Strait of Hormuz within days of an agreement between the US and Iran to reopen the waterway, according to people familiar with the matter.
GIBRALTAR, GIBRALTAR - MAY 22: A member of the Royal Navy works on mine hunting equipment on the RFA Lyme Bay in Gibraltar, a bay-class landing ship dock which is being upgraded by the Royal Navy to add new cutting-edge uncrewed equipment, allowing it to be used as a 'mothership' for autonomous systems, if needed for operations in the Strait of Hormuz.
The UK and France have finalized plans to lead a multinational mine-clearing mission in the Strait of Hormuz within days of an agreement between the US and Iran to reopen the waterway, according to people familiar with the matter.
GIBRALTAR, GIBRALTAR - MAY 22: A member of the Royal Navy works on mine hunting equipment on the RFA Lyme Bay in Gibraltar, a bay-class landing ship dock which is being upgraded by the Royal Navy to add new cutting-edge uncrewed equipment, allowing it to be used as a 'mothership' for autonomous systems, if needed for operations in the Strait of Hormuz.
Pakistan opted not to buy urgent cargoes of liquefied natural gas on the spot market, betting that hostilities which have closed the Strait of Hormuz will ease and cheaper supplies from Qatar will arrive soon.
Service Long March Tyres Ltd., Pakistan’s largest manufacturer of all-steel radial tires, has filed for an initial public offering next month that could be the largest private-sector listing in the nation’s history.
Pakistan is in discussions with Saudi Arabia and China for financial support to compensate for a loan of about $3 billion that Islamabad will be forced to pay back to the United Arab Emirates, people familiar with the matter said.
An Iranian delegation is expected to arrive in Islamabad on Friday night, officials in Pakistan’s capital said, ahead of crucial peace talks with the US set for Saturday.
Heightened security measures in Islamabad. Photographer: Farooq Naeem/Getty Images
Pakistan will return matured loan deposits to the United Arab Emirates, in a move that will strain the South Asian nation’s reserves.
The State Bank of Pakistan in Karachi, Pakistan, on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023. Pakistan increased its benchmark interest rate to 17%, the highest in more than 24 years, as the economy grapples with raging inflation, supply shortages, dwindling currency reserves and stalled foreign financing.
Pakistan is making a push to mediate talks to end the US-Israeli war against Iran, with its powerful army chief holding calls with President Donald Trump to find a resolution to the fighting, people familiar with the matter said.
US President Donald Trump, left, and Marco Rubio, US secretary of state, speak to members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, March 20, 2026. US officials said the White House is sending more than 2,000 additional Marines to the Middle East as it weighs a plan to seize Iran’s Kharg Island oil export hub, a ground operation that would carry huge risks for President Donald Trump.