{
  "id": 12855367,
  "title": "Oil surge, rate fears and AI debt worries hammer Asian equities",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/oil-surge-rate-fears-and-ai-debt-worries-hammer-asian-equities",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-08T10:40:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/money/2026/10/08/oil-surge-rate-fears-and-ai-debt-worries-hammer-asian-equities/238286"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Asian equities experienced a mixed performance on Thursday, as technology stocks fell due to worries over a surge in corporate debt related to artificial intelligence, according to German Press Agency (dpa). Concerns over rising bond yields and the outlook for monetary policy also negatively impacted markets, while elevated oil prices persisted due to supply disruptions stemming from the Iran conflict and Yemeni attacks. Gold saw a slight increase of 0.3 percent to US$4,124 per ounce, as the dollar retreated from an 18-month peak during subdued trading. Brent crude prices surged nearly four percent towards US$104 per barrel, reversing previous day's losses after reports suggested the White House had asked the Pentagon to explore options for attacking Iran before the midterm elections, though no final decision had been made. Formerly, oil prices rose on fresh concerns about West Asia supplies, but fell after the International Energy Agency agreed to speed up a planned oil stock release and prioritize diesel to curb record-high fuel prices. Seven commodity vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz, the lowest figure since July 23, following the highest level of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia in weeks. Mainland Chinese markets closed notably lower after reopening following the National Day Golden Week break. The Shanghai Composite Index declined 0.79 percent to 3,811.90 amid renewed US-China tensions over trade and technology restrictions. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 1.43 percent to 23,785.79, while Japan's Nikkei average and Topix Index both dropped 1.42 percent and 1.51 percent, respectively. Banks and semiconductor stocks faced heavy selling pressure, with Japanese lender Mitsubishi UFJ Financial losing 3.3 percent and technology investor SoftBank Group plunging 4.3 percent. South Korean markets declined for a third straight day, with the Kospi Index falling 2.62 percent to 6,625.93. South Korean electronics giant Samsung Electronics saw shares drop 2.4 percent despite reporting a record profit, driven by surging memory-chip prices and heavy investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure. Australian markets ended the day lower, with banks and technology stocks under selling pressure due to bond-market concerns. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.77 percent to 8,660.90, while the All Ordinaries Index closed 0.8 percent lower at 8,823.20. New Zealand's S&P/NZX-50 Index finished marginally higher at 13,691.85, ending a downward trend from the previous session. US stocks rebounded from their lows but still finished the day lower as oil prices fluctuated and government bond yields rose to 24-year highs before easing after a successful US$39 billion auction of 10-year Treasury notes. The technology-focused Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 both slipped by 0.2 percent, while the narrower Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.7 percent as minutes of the Federal Reserve's September 15-16 meeting indicated another interest rate hike might be warranted before the year-end, depending on incoming information, the state of the economy, and risk factors.",
  "summary": "BEIJING, Oct 8 — Asian stocks ended mostly lower on Thursday as technology stocks retreated on concerns over a sur...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}