US Dollar Slips Ahead of Fed Decision as Oil Prices Ease Inflation Fears 
US Stock Futures Slip as AI Spending Fears, Fed Decision Weigh on Markets 
Gold Prices Fall 1% Ahead of Fed Decision as Markets Watch Warsh, Iran Talks 
Japan PM Sanae Takaichi Plans Temporary Food Tax Cut to Ease Inflation Pressure 
Hong Kong Home Prices Extend Winning Streak With 13th Straight Monthly Gain in June 
Fed Holds Rates Steady as US Dollar Slides, Euro and Yen Gain 
Asian Stocks Sink as AI Spending Fears and China Chip Advances Hit Tech Shares 
US Stock Futures Slip Ahead of Fed Decision, Big Tech Earnings Amid Middle East Tensions 
Brazil Challenges Trump Tariffs at WTO Over Trade Dispute 
South Korean Chip Stocks Plunge as AI Spending Concerns and China Competition Shake Market 
Dollar Holds One-Month High as Fed Rate Hike Bets Grow, Yen Remains Under Pressure 
Asian Stocks Tumble as Tech Selloff Deepens Ahead of Fed Decision, Big Tech Earnings 
Gold Price Slips as Stronger Dollar, Fed Rate Decision Weigh on Market 
Fed Holds Interest Rates Steady as Kevin Warsh Says Rising Treasury Yields Tighten Financial Conditions 
BOJ Rate Decision in Focus as Sticky Inflation, Weak Yen Shape USD/JPY and Nikkei Outlook 
Most Asian stock markets declined on Thursday as investor concerns over artificial intelligence (AI) spending continued to pressure technology shares, overshadowing strong earnings from Samsung Electronics and upbeat results from major U.S. tech companies. Market sentiment also remained cautious after the U.S. Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged and offered few clues on the timing of its next policy move.
Regional equities struggled to find direction after Wall Street closed lower overnight, weighed down by renewed geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran, along with a sharp rebound in oil prices. U.S. stock index futures edged higher in early Asian trading after Microsoft delivered stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings, helping recover part of the previous session’s losses.
South Korea’s KOSPI index was among the most volatile markets, ending about 0.5% lower after swinging sharply between gains and losses. The benchmark initially surged nearly 5%, fueling hopes that the recent AI-driven selloff had reached a bottom, before reversing as semiconductor stocks came under renewed selling pressure. The index has fallen nearly 17% over the past two sessions.
Samsung Electronics rose roughly 2% after reporting a significant increase in second-quarter earnings. The company’s semiconductor operating profit soared more than 250-fold from a year earlier, supported by strong demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips used in AI servers. However, SK Hynix dropped about 4% after investors viewed its record quarterly profits as insufficient to justify lofty expectations, extending recent losses in chipmakers.
Investors also assessed earnings from Microsoft and Meta Platforms. Microsoft benefited from stronger-than-expected Azure cloud growth, while Meta posted solid revenue but cautioned that AI investments would keep capital expenditures elevated, reinforcing concerns over rising industry spending.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 outperformed regional peers, climbing about 1%, although the broader TOPIX index slipped 0.4%. Elsewhere, China’s Shanghai Composite lost 1.2%, the CSI 300 fell 2.2%, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.7%, Singapore’s Straits Times Index dropped 0.9%, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng traded little changed.
Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged at 3.50%–3.75%. A split vote among policymakers and cautious remarks from Chair Kevin Warsh left markets uncertain about future policy direction, while renewed U.S. strikes on Iran kept geopolitical risks firmly in focus.
