Asian Markets Drop Amid Geopolitical Tensions | San Francisco News

Asian markets plunged today as South Korea’s Kospi tumbled 6.6% after the Bank of Korea raised rates for the first time since 2023 to combat inflation fueled by Iran tensions — tech stocks like SK Hynix and Samsung took heavy losses. Oil prices held firm at $84.55/barrel despite U.S.-Iran strikes disrupting Persian Gulf shipping. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng bucked the trend, up 1.7%, lifted by Alibaba’s rebound after China greenlit Apple’s AI tool and approved Alibaba’s own AI integration. In the U.S., futures edged higher on back of yesterday’s Wall Street gains, driven by slowing inflation and strong earnings from BlackRock — tech held resilient despite global selloffs. Geopolitical chaos and rate hikes keep markets volatile, with eyes on tech and energy. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/6a043af5e8401d60