Stocks get AI lift, dollar holds steady ahead of Fed decision

Asia stocks experienced a surge on Wednesday, fueled by renewed enthusiasm in artificial intelligence (AI) ahead of earnings reports from major AI industry players later in the US trading day. The dollar maintained its stability as the Federal Reserve prepared to announce its policy decision. SK Hynix, a South Korean chipmaker, revealed a more than seven-fold increase in quarterly operating profit, adding to the positive sentiment.

However, the AI rally faced an imminent challenge when technology giants Alphabet and Microsoft released their earnings after the market closed, with investors closely monitoring whether the increased capital expenditures for AI would yield sustainable revenue growth. Analysts expressed caution, emphasizing that the focus should be more on execution risk and how much future success is already priced into the current stock market.

MSCI's Asia-Pacific index outside Japan saw a 0.85% increase in early trade, with Japan's Nikkei up 1.2% and South Korea's KOSPI jumping over 3%. SK Hynix's shares rose 3% after opening before settling 1.75% higher. The AI sector enjoyed a boost due to recent funding announcements from Meta, SpaceX, and Broadcom, along with the upcoming initial public offering (IPO) filing of Anthropic.

U.S. futures showed minimal change, while the EUROSTOXX 50 futures slipped by 0.03%. The primary focus for investors would be the Federal Reserve's policy decision later that day, with expectations of a steady outcome. However, the central concern remained the outlook for interest rates, given the ongoing Middle East conflict and its impact on inflation.

JPMorgan analysts predicted at least two opposing viewpoints from Fed chair Kevin Warsh, with a dovish stance likely interpreted positively. The U.S. dollar index hovered near a two-week high against six major currencies at 102.37, while the New Zealand dollar slipped more than 1% after the Reserve Bank of New Zealand decided to keep its policy interest rate unchanged.

Similarly, the Australian dollar rose 0.25% to $0.7043 following a sharp increase in consumer prices in the third quarter of the year, primarily due to fuel cost hikes. In Israel, the shekel weakened as exit polls indicated a deadlocked wartime election outcome. In the oil market, Brent crude futures rose 0.47% to $114.42 per barrel, while U.S. crude added 0.55% to $100.45.

The search for an agreement to end the US-Israeli conflict with Iran remained unresolved. Spot gold prices remained largely flat at $4,057.95 per ounce.