Investing.com — Asian stocks regained some ground on Friday as investors looked beyond the upheaval at Nvidia and returned to technology shares, encouraged by renewed confidence in the artificial intelligence trade and strong demand for semiconductor infrastructure.
The MSCI Asia Pacific index rose 0.7%, with technology shares providing the biggest lift. Nasdaq 100 futures gained 0.1% and S&P 500 futures advanced 0.2%, after both underlying benchmarks finished lower on Thursday.
Anthropic’s planned initial public offering also supported sentiment, with demand for the shares reportedly reaching around six times the amount available.
Nvidia shares fell as much as 14% on Thursday after co-founder Jensen Huang resigned, but dip-buyers narrowed the decline to 4.3% by the close.
The company confirmed that Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress would take over as interim CEO while its board searches for a permanent replacement. Nvidia shares slipped another 3% in extended trading.
Asian chipmakers regain ground as AI investors rotate
Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.1% and TOPIX gained 0.8%, while South Korea’s KOSPI edged up 0.2%. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing advanced 1.3% and Largan Precision surged 10%.
Japanese suppliers also strengthened, with Kioxia rising 1.7%, Sony adding 1.5%, TDK gaining 1.4% and Murata Manufacturing climbing 1.2%. Samsung Electronics added 0.5%, while SK Hynix was nearly unchanged.
Huang’s departure could have wider implications for U.S. chip-export policy and the AI supply chain, given his efforts to retain access to China and his close relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump.
U.S. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott has asked both Huang and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify about the recent developments at the chipmaker.
Investors are nevertheless looking ahead to Nvidia’s third-quarter results on Tuesday, November 17.
China and Hong Kong tech shares face chip-access concerns
Chinese and Hong Kong technology stocks remained weaker as investors assessed how Nvidia’s leadership change could affect Chinese companies reliant on its processors, alongside the risk of tighter U.S. curbs on access to advanced chips through offshore data centres.
