Financial Market Preview - Friday 15-May

US equity futures are modestly lower, Asian markets are broadly weaker, led by sharp declines in South Korea, while European equities are also lower. Markets were supported by continued AI-driven momentum, with strength in semis, networking, and select tech names offsetting mixed performance across big tech and weakness in memory stocks. Broader sentiment remained constructive with major indices extending to fresh highs, though underlying concerns persist around narrow market breadth and elevated positioning. Rates remain a key overhang after this week’s hotter inflation signals, while limited incremental progress from US-China discussions and ongoing geopolitical uncertainty continue to cap upside. Companies mentioned: Anthropic, OpenAI, Papa John's International