--- title: "Geopolitics, Tech Gyrations Roil Asian Stock Markets" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/276435918.md" description: "Asian stock markets experienced volatility, with Japan's Nikkei 225 falling 1.1% amid geopolitical concerns, while South Korea's KOSPI rose 2.3% following BlackRock's investment in SK Hynix. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index also declined 1.1%, driven by weak tech stocks. Japan's CPI rose 1.5% year-on-year, and the composite PMI increased to 53.8, indicating growth. Other regional markets showed mixed results, with India's composite PMI rising to 59.3." datetime: "2026-02-20T10:45:00.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/276435918.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276435918.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/276435918.md) --- # Geopolitics, Tech Gyrations Roil Asian Stock Markets 05:45 AM EST, 02/20/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets turned in a choppy Friday in thinned holiday-action, as traders cautiously mulled Middle East geopolitics, but a tech-rally fueled Seoul's exchanges to fresh zeniths. Hong Kong and Tokyo finished in the red, while Shanghai and Taiwan remained closed on holiday. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened lower and could not recover, finishing off 1.1% as traders took to sidelines ahead of a three-day weekend and uncertain prospects in the Middle East. The benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 642.13 to 56,825.70, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 165 to 58. Leading the upside was copper-circuits and advanced materials-maker Mitsui Kinzhou, up 5.4%, while Sumitomo Pharma declined 15.6%. In economic news, Japan's consumer price index (CPI) rose 1.5% on year in January, easing from the 2.1% on-year gain logged in December, reported the Statistics Bureau on Friday. The nation's CPI-core, that strips out food costs, rose 2% on year in January, cooling from a 2.4% on-year rise in December. The headline seasonally adjusted flash Japan composite purchasing managers index (PMI), a combination of the nation's manufacturing and services sectors, rose to 53.8 in February from 53.1 in January, striking further above the 50-mark that separates growth from contraction, reported S&P Global. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened lower after a three-day hiatus and declined in trading, closing off 1.1% on soft tech issues. The broad gauge Hang Seng fell 292.59 to 26,413.35 as losing issues outnumbered gainers 63 to 25. The Hang Seng TECH Index lost 2.9% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index fell 1%. Leading the upside was PetroChina, gaining 3.7%, while JD Health International declined 6.3%. On the other regional exchanges, the S. Korean KOSPI rose 2.3% after US money manager BlackRock disclosed a 5% stake in SK Hynix, a semiconductor maker. The Australian ASX 200 was flat, the Singapore Straits Times Index rose 0.3%, and the Thai Set declined 1%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was up 0.4%. In other news, the flash India composite PMI rose to 59.3 in February, up from 58.4 in January, reported S&P Global. MT Newswires does not provide investment advice. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. ### Related Stocks - [4628.JP](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/4628.JP.md) - [1346.JP](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/1346.JP.md) - [1369.JP](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/1369.JP.md) - [8617.JP](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/8617.JP.md) - [2525.JP](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/2525.JP.md) - [YCS.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/YCS.US.md) ## Related News & Research - [BOJ appoints monetary policy expert Masaki to oversee global affairs](https://longbridge.com/en/news/285864495.md) - [Japan services PMI hits 11-month low in April. War costs bite, input costs 42-month high](https://longbridge.com/en/news/285642336.md) - [UK April CPI +2.8% vs +3.0% y/y expected](https://longbridge.com/en/news/287012944.md) - [Brokerages report record first-quarter profits amid steep Kospi rally](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286521817.md) - [Eurozone April final CPI +3.0% vs +3.0% y/y prelim](https://longbridge.com/en/news/287035040.md)