Asian stocks slip, Wall St and bonds benefit from oil skid

Asian stock markets declined on Monday due to worries over the significant funding requirements of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Chinese economic indicators exceeded expectations, providing a positive outlook for global growth. The drop in oil prices supported bonds and Wall Street stock futures, reducing Asia's losses.

President Donald Trump waived some sanctions on Russia, but his decision could take up to 60 days to evaluate. Oil prices fell by 1.7% to $107.95 per barrel, while US crude futures lost 0.8% to $100.62 per barrel. Iran reported yet another tanker hitting a mine in the Strait of Hormuz. The 10-year Treasury yields decreased by 4 basis points to 5.0525%, marking their largest weekly drop in over eight months.

S&P 500 futures rose by 0.7%, while Nasdaq futures increased by 1.0%. Asian markets were affected by concerns about the tech sector, with Japan's Nikkei falling 1.2% after losing 5.4% the previous week. South Korea declined by 0.4%, and Taiwan dropped by 1.4%. MSCI's Asia-Pacific index outside Japan slipped 0.6%. Investors are concerned that AI revenues may not cover substantial initial investments, and the depreciation of AI infrastructure could lead to significant book value losses.

Chinese blue chips decreased by 0.2%, but recovered after data indicated the economy grew 4.5% in the third quarter, just missing forecasts. Retail sales rose by 1.1%, and industrial output growth met expectations at 5.5%. China's yuan strengthened to its highest level since July 2022 at 6.6828. Semiconductor firms Meta, Lam Research, Texas Instruments, SpaceX, and Tesla are awaited for earnings reports, with Meta expected to exceed Wall Street forecasts.

Other companies reporting include Netflix, Procter & Gamble, General Motors, and GE Aerospace. European stocks were impacted by political uncertainty in France, with EUROSTOXX 50 futures down by 0.3%, while DAX futures lost 0.2%, and FTSE futures decreased by 0.1%. The euro weakened by 0.1% to $1.1232, nearing a 16-month low of $1.1113.

The dollar declined by 0.1% against the yen to 157.89 and has remained within a tight range due to Japan's potential intervention, keeping speculative sellers away. Gold gained 0.4% to $4,181 an ounce as non-interest-bearing yields fell.