Asian markets mixed as tech stocks slide and US midterm news weighs on equities
Asian equity markets traded largely lower on Wednesday as technology shares dropped on news of early US midterm election results favoring Democrats, raising regulatory and growth concerns.Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 1.83% to 61,975 level, with the Japanese yen weakening toward 158 per dollar. South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI rose 0.17% to around 5,658.45. Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index () rose 0.99%, to around 23,762.00, and mainland China’s Shanghai Composite () rose 1.21% to 3,652.60, while the Shenzhen Component rose 2.10% to 11,101.37. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 () fell 0.59%, to 8,834.50.In China, private sector growth cooled in October 2026 as the fell to a three-month low of 50.8 (down from September’s 51.6).In Hong Kong economic data, the S&P Global Hong Kong SAR PMI rose to 50.2 in October 2026 from 49.2 in September, crossing the 50.0 threshold to signal the first private-sector expansion in three months.In Australia, private-sector momentum cooled as the fell to 48.5 (down from 51.9 in September), dragging the Flash Composite PMI to 48.5. Concurrently, the Ai Group Manufacturing Index plummeted 13.4 points to -20.1.In commodities and crypto markets, Bitcoin fell toward $76,000 to hit its lowest level since mid-September amid US political uncertainty, while crude oil dropped toward $95 per barrel.US stock indices closed on Tuesday ahead of election results. On Wednesday, US stock futures plunged sharply as early tallies suggested a potential Democratic sweep of Congress.Content provided by Seeking Alpha is intended for information purposes only, and that Seeking Alpha does not offer any personalist investment advice and is not a licensed securities dealer, broker, US investment adviser or investment bank.