Bloomberg Daybreak: Asia Edition

Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Technology shares fell, snapping this week's rally, after disappointing earnings from two industry heavyweights revived concerns about the billions of dollars companies are pouring into artificial intelligence. Samsung Electronics Co. shares dropped more than 5% after profit missed estimates, dragging down the Kospi Index — a bellwether for the AI trade — by 2.9%. That marked a sharp reversal from Wednesday, when the gauge posted its biggest rally since July as strong earnings from chipmaker SK Hynix Inc. fueled gains across technology stocks. Alphabet Inc. slumped 10% in extended trading after sales underwhelmed, reinforcing investors' fears that Google is losing ground to AI rivals despite pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into the technology. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 Index slid 1.3%, after the underlying benchmark climbed for the past three days. The broader MSCI Inc.'s Asia Pacific equities reversed earlier gains to drop 0.7%. The news wasn't all bad as Microsoft Corp. shares rose 2.9% in after-hours trading on solid cloud sales, while Oracle Corp. earlier surged 11% after issuing a long-term outlook for free cash flow. A gauge of Oracle's credit risk improved the most in nearly nine months. To break down Samsung's earnings, Bloomberg's Yvonne Man and David Ingles spoke to  Sanjeev Rana, Head of North Asia Semiconductors Research at CLSA

And - Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh on Wednesday left the central bank on track to raise interest rates again this year, even as he stuck to his refusal to offer any explicit guidance on the future path of policy. Operating within his self-imposed communication boundaries, Warsh used his assessment of a strong economy and warnings over persistent inflation to signal the Fed's job is not yet done. The message reinforced expectations that officials will raise borrowing costs in December — after holding them steady Wednesday — with the potential for another increase in early 2027. Still, Warsh was careful to leave his options open. Bloomberg's Yvonne Man and David Ingles spoke to Larry Hatheway, Head of Research and Global investment Strategist at the Franklin Templeton.

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Alphabet reported quarterly sales and profit in the third quarter that fell short of expectations, a sign that the firm is failing to generate enough return to justify its massive investments in AI. The stock fell in late trading. Google’s parent company said sales, excluding partner payouts, were $111.2 billion for the three months that ended Sept. 30, just below the $111.3 billion that analysts had projected on average. Alphabet reported net income of $2.12 a share, falling far below Wall Street’s estimate of $2.99.

The company’s shares were down as much as 8.5% in after-hours trading.

For instant reaction and analysis, Bloomberg Businessweek Daily hosts Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec speak with Bloomberg Tech host Ed Ludlow.

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Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

SK Hynix Inc. unveiled plans to return about $45 billion more to shareholders after profit surged a stronger-than-expected seven-fold, reflecting the resilience of an AI infrastructure rollout that's propelling memory chip demand. The world's second-biggest memory chipmaker reaffirmed it expects shortages of the components crucial to Nvidia Corp. accelerators to persist through at least 2030, propping up prices. On Wednesday, it reported an operating profit of 83.3 trillion won ($62.5 billion) for the September quarter, beating projections by more than 7%. The company also laid out plans to return 60 trillion won to shareholders in the remainder of the fiscal year through buybacks and dividends, on top of a previously announced 40 trillion won. Much of that stems from gains it locked in after a sale of stock in Kioxia Holdings Corp. earlier this year.

And - Hong Kong hosts the third annual One Earth Summit, an invitation-only gathering of more than 600 global policymakers, corporate executives, family offices, and sustainability innovators. The summit focuses on unlocking private capital for climate solutions across Asia and emerging markets. Bloomberg's David Ingles spoke to One Earth Summit Founder Poman Lo.

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Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Anthropic PBC's initial public offering is laying bare the stark extremes of the multi-trillion-dollar AI boom business model: astonishing growth paired with uncertainty about demand and the spending required to continue developing the technology. The startup, which publicly filed IPO paperwork on Monday, is poised to be the first major US firm focused solely on building AI software to make its market debut. 

A rally in Wall Street tech stocks following Anthropic PBC's filing for an initial public offering carried into Asia, rekindling enthusiasm for the artificial intelligence trade. Crude oil extended its decline. We speak to Paul Dobson, Bloomberg's Executive Editor for Asia Markets.

And - The AI-driven debt boom is creating some of the most attractive fixed-income opportunities in years, eclipsing the appeal of long-dated US Treasuries, according to BlackRock's Rick Rieder. He spoke to Bloomberg TV hosts Haidi Stroud-Watts and Paul Allen. 

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Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Stocks struggled to recover from a volatile week as investors braced for more earnings from megacap tech companies that will offer clues on whether the recent pressure on the artificial intelligence trade will persist. Treasuries rose as crude oil fell. MSCI Inc.'s Asia Pacific equities gauge dropped 0.1% after swinging between small gains and losses. Futures for Wall Street benchmarks made a modest gain. We speak to Sunny Bangia. He covers Asia Equities for Bloomberg News.

And - The Federal Reserve and its peers in the euro zone and Japan will probably keep interest rates steady in the coming week, opting to bide their time before potential further hikes. Three days of decisions starting on Wednesday in Washington are likely to affirm a hawkish stance balanced by a measured pace as policymakers confront inflation risks ranging from surging energy prices to the artificial intelligence boom. Bloomberg's Haidi Stroud-Watts spoke to Natixis Chief APAC Economist Alicia Garcia Herrero. 

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Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Host Nathan Hager take a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week.

• In the US – a look ahead to the next monetary policy decision from the Federal Reserve, along with U.S tech earnings.
• In the UK – a look ahead to the UK's annual budget.
• In Asia – a look ahead to the next monetary policy decision from the Bank of Japan.

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Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

The global rout in technology stocks this week deepened as investors rotated out of the hottest trade of the year and sought safety in Treasuries and currencies such as the yen. Crude oil extended its gains. After a sharp drop in chip stocks on Wall Street, the weakness spread across Asia, led by South Korea's Kospi Index — a bellwether for the artificial intelligence trade. The index fell 1.5%, putting it on course for its worst close since April as chip heavyweight Samsung Electronics Co. retreated. MSCI Inc.'s Asia Pacific equities gauge fell 0.7%, hovering around levels last seen in July. The rout in the artificial intelligence trade drove investors toward the safety of bonds. Treasuries held the previous session's gains after staging their biggest rally in more than two years. The benchmark 10-year yield, which fell 17 basis points Thursday, traded at 4.97%. Government debt in Japan and Australia tracked that move and advanced. We speak to Winnie Hsu, Asia Equities Reporter.

And - rising anxiety over catastrophic risks from artificial intelligence has spurred a groundswell of calls in Washington and Silicon Valley for new safeguards on the rapidly evolving technology, yet there's little consensus on next steps. For more on this, Bloomberg's Haidi Stroud-Watts and Paul Allen spoke to FailSafe President and Co-founder Wui Foo.

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Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Meta Platforms Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg told investors that a pricey wager on artificial intelligence is delivering results, setting the stage for the company to bet even more aggressively on the market. During its quarterly earnings report Wednesday, the social-media giant boosted its capital spending plans for the year and announced a new class of nonvoting stock that could ultimately be used to help pay for acquisitions and other expenses.  Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company's AI investments were "paying off" during its latest quarterly report. The moves show that Meta has confidence that its already-stratospheric spending on AI is bearing fruit. After struggling to persuade investors to accept ballooning costs, Meta has made headway with its technology in recent months, especially with a new AI agent called Muse. Zuckerberg pointed to that progress as reason to keep plowing ahead. 

Tesla Inc. pulled back its spending plans after investment last quarter trailed expectations, clouding Elon Musk's effort to transform the electric vehicle maker into an AI and robotics company. Capital expenditures will be around $20 billion this year, the company said Wednesday after reporting earnings results. That marked a reversal from earlier this year, when Tesla raised the target to more than $25 billion. Tesla had been consistently short of the pace needed to hit its spending goal, particularly after a $4.73 billion outlay in the third quarter. Analysts had expected $7.95 billion on average in estimates compiled by Bloomberg. We speak to Daniel Newman, CEO at the Futurum Group.

And - Barclays hosts its annual Barclays Asia Forum in Singapore. The high-level gathering brings together institutional investors, corporate executives, private wealth clients, and senior Barclays leadership to examine macroeconomic trends, cross-border capital flows, and investment opportunities across the Asia-Pacific region. Bloomberg's Haslinda Amin spoke to Jaideep Khanna, Barclays Asia Pacific CEO.

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Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Asian stocks rebounded after two days of losses and US equity-index futures advanced as strong earnings from some of the biggest beneficiaries of the artificial intelligence boom revived confidence in the tech trade. Crude oil climbed. The Kospi in South Korea rose 4.2% and the Taiex in Taiwan added 1.9% as the bellwethers for the AI trade rallied after earnings of SpaceX and Super Micro Computer Inc. topped expectations. The gains helped lift the broader MSCI Asia Pacific Index 1.5%, with two shares advancing for every one that fell in the gauge. We speak to Lianting Tu, Bloomberg's Managing Editor for Asia Equities.

South Korean AI computing supplier Elice Inc. surged on Wednesday, recovering much of the ground lost after a 32% slump in its trading debut, as a string of upbeat US tech earnings lifted sentiment. The neocloud firm's stock jumped by the 30% daily limit on Seoul's small-cap Kosdaq index to reach 79,900 won, though it remained below its IPO price of 90,500 won. The Kospi index, the South Korean equity benchmark, gained as much as 4.8%, while the Kosdaq index advanced 2.8%. Largely unknown outside South Korea until this week, Elice sought to tap investor enthusiasm for AI through its IPO. Its record first-day decline indicated growing investor skepticism toward neoclouds, a fast-growing corner of the AI industry. Wednesday's sharp rebound also highlights how fickle market sentiment remains, as strong sector earnings continue to validate growth. Bloomberg's Shery Ahn spoke to Elice Chief Executive Officer Jae Won Kim.

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Business and finance news from the Asia-Pacific.

Asian stocks dropped, diverging from a chip-led rally on Wall Street, as sentiment toward the artificial intelligence trade remained jittery ahead of key earnings this week that will test the strength of gains in the technology sector. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index fell 0.8%, with nine of its 11 subgroups in the red and two shares declining for every one that gained. Regional losses were led by a 2.7% drop in South Korea's Kospi Index — a bellwether for AI investments — as chip heavyweight SK Hynix Inc. headed for its lowest close since April. Also weighing on the mood, data-center infrastructure company Elice Inc. plunged as much as 33% in its trading debut in Seoul. We speak to Paul Dobson, Bloombeg's Executive Editor for Asia Markets.

Now in its 18th year, the Citi Australia & New Zealand Investment Conference is underway. Bloomberg's Haidi Stroud-Watts spoke to Citi Australia CEO + Head Australia and New Zealand Mark Woodruff.

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