Most Asian stock markets closed lower today. South Korea’s Kospi index plummeted 10.8 per cent as investors sold tech shares amid heightened fears over artificial intelligence investment. Earlier in the session, the index had fallen by more than 8 per cent, prompting the Korea Exchange (KRX) to activate a circuit breaker and halt trading for 20 minutes. It marked the seventh time this year that the exchange has activated a circuit breaker.
Taiwan’s Taiex shed over 4.6 per cent, Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell more than 3.9 per cent, China’s Shanghai Composite dipped almost 1.2 per cent, and Singapore’s Strait Times index settled marginally lower. In contrast, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index climbed 0.4 per cent.
Major European indices were trading with gains today. London’s FTSE 100 added half a per cent, while Germany’s DAX as well as France’s CAC 40 increased by 0.2 per cent, when reports last came in.
