Asia stocks mixed; chipmakers slide on OpenAI revenue concerns

Asian stock markets experienced a mixed performance on Friday, with semiconductor stocks leading the decline after a report on OpenAI's revenue reignited concerns about investments in AI technology. The setback followed a decline on Wall Street, where the Nasdaq Composite fell by 1.3% the previous day. Semiconductor stocks were particularly hard hit by the market's volatility.

U.S. stock index futures showed a slight upward trend at 23:55 ET, with Japan's Nikkei 225 dropping by 0.6% and the TOPIX index remaining unchanged. SoftBank Group, a major investor in OpenAI, saw its shares decline by 5%, while other chip-related and electronics shares also suffered losses.

Kioxia experienced a 4% drop, and Murata's shares fell by 5.3%. The Financial Times reported that OpenAI's annualized revenue was approximately $20 billion lower than what the company had previously stated, raising doubts about its capacity to fund the substantial investments needed for advanced chips and data-center infrastructure.

China's Shanghai Composite fell by 1.2%, while the Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 index slipped by 1.3%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index slightly increased by 0.9%, but chip stocks continued to weigh down the market. South Korean and Taiwanese markets were closed for holidays, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose by around 0.6%.

Nvidia-backed data-center operator Firmus canceled plans for a $5 billion initial public offering, citing market volatility and choosing private fundraising instead. This move highlighted growing worries about the financial requirements of AI infrastructure projects. Singapore's Straits Times Index declined by 0.5%, while India's Nifty 50 rose by 0.4%.

Elevated energy prices continued to exert pressure on markets. Brent crude prices surged more than 4% on Thursday, reaching above $103 a barrel, due to concerns over the war in the Middle East and its potential impact on oil supplies and inflation. Prices slightly eased on Friday, but investors remained concerned that further escalation could lead to higher energy costs and complicate interest rate outlooks.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Washington would not attack Iran before the November midterm elections, but uncertainty over the conflict persisted. Bond markets were also under scrutiny after a prolonged sell-off caused long-term borrowing costs to reach multi-decade highs. The U.S. 10-year Treasury yield dropped to around 5.23% after hitting a 24-year high earlier in the week, offering some relief to equities, but still posing challenges for growth stocks and increasing financing costs for companies heavily investing in AI.