Synopsis
U.S. stock futures fell as Apple warned of margin pressures, fueling concerns about AI investment returns. Gold and silver posted gains, while Asian stocks edged higher. Investors are increasingly wary of the timing and profitability of massive technology spending on artificial intelligence.
TIL CreationsThe MSCI Asia-Pacific index rose 8.7% this month, its best January since its inception in 1998.
U.S. stock index futures fell at the open after Apple Inc. warned about margins on concerns that technology companies’ massive investments in artificial intelligence would not generate sufficient returns. Gold rebounded Friday morning, while silver advanced.
S&P 500 Index and Nasdaq 100 Index futures slipped 0.2% early Friday. Tech Stocks were in focus after Apple said rising component costs threatened to squeeze its margins, even as its profits beat estimates. The company’s shares rose slightly in extended trading, while Asian stocks also notched a modest gain at the open.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said he would announce his choice of a nominee to chair the Federal Reserve on Friday morning. Trump also said he would decertify all planes made in Canada and threatened to impose taxes on countries that supply oil to Cuba. Treasuries fell slightly in early Asian trading.
Market moves have highlighted a growing divide, with enthusiasm for AI increasingly tempered by valuation and the timing of returns. While strength in commodities supported parts of Asia, volatility in U.S. technology showed investors’ unease with AI-related capital spending. Asian stocks are up 8.8% this month.
“I’m relatively surprised by the strong start to the year given concerns about AI spending,” said Nick Twidale, chief market analyst at AT Global Markets.
U.S. stocks had a choppy day Thursday as buyers came in after a decline driven by concerns about whether unprecedented spending on AI would justify the deployment of capital. Attention to the theme intensified after Amazon.com Inc. was in talks to invest up to $50 billion in OpenAI, which the Wall Street Journal reports is planning a fourth-quarter IPO.
The “Magnificent Seven” tech giants have led the stock market higher for much of the past three years. But that reversed in late 2025, as Wall Street grew skeptical about the hundreds of billions of dollars companies are spending to develop AI and when the returns on those investments will materialize.
“The one-way bet on AI leadership is now starting to look excessive,” Fawad Razaqzada said on Forex.com. “Investors are now concerned that the AI theme may not be as immediately lucrative as hoped.”
Simmering concerns over tech spending could also threaten one of the best starts of the year. Asian stocks in decades. The MSCI Asia-Pacific index rose 8.7% this month, its best January since its inception in 1998.
Indonesian stocks will be the center of attention in Asia on Friday following a late-session rally following their deepest two-day rout in nearly three decades. Regulators rushed to implement measures to prevent a possible downgrade of the rating of index compiler MSCI Inc., which would have triggered a crisis of confidence in the stock market.
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(What’s moving Sensex And Clever Track latest market news, stock market advice, Budget 2025, Equity market on the 2025 budget And expert adviceon AND Markets. Additionally, ETMarkets.com is now on Telegram. For the fastest news alerts on financial markets, investment strategies and stock market alerts, subscribe to our Telegram feeds .)
Subscribe to AND Bonus and read it Electronic document on economic times Online.and Sensex today.
Most trending stocks: SBI share price, Axis Bank share price, HDFC Bank share price, Infosys share price, Wipro stock price, NTPC stock price
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