Asian shares tumble, oil rises as markets await AI sector results

Asian stock markets experienced a significant decline on Tuesday, with the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index falling 0.93%, while Japan's Nikkei 225 dropped 1.28% and South Korea's KOSPI plummeted 3.61%. Geopolitical risks, fuelled by riots in France, caused markets to await results from key AI companies. The dollar remained strong against the euro, as France dealt with riots following nationwide protests against the government.

Executives in the US waived some sanctions and tariffs on Russian energy, but President Donald Trump has not yet made a final decision. Investors now eagerly anticipate corporate earnings, particularly from Meta, Tesla, and chipmakers Lam Research and Texas Instruments. The market is cautiously optimistic about the AI sector, with Meta expected to increase capital expenditure by $1.2 trillion next year, as reported by Goldman Sachs.

Results from SpaceX are also expected on Tuesday. The dominance of technology hardware in driving earnings growth has led to expectations of a doubling of earnings compared to the same quarter a year ago, with emerging markets forecast to see a 200% increase. South Korean artificial intelligence infrastructure company Elice Group saw its shares plummet 16% on its market debut, raising $151.12 million in an IPO.

Brent crude oil prices rose 0.21% to $109.78 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate gained 0.15% to $103.82 a barrel. Spot gold fell 0.51% to $4,118.71 an ounce. Recent comments from Federal Reserve officials suggest a lack of urgency in raising interest rates again, while European Central Bank policymaker Martin Kocher will speak later on Tuesday.