--- title: "The Asia-Pacific stock market continues its upward trend, sprinting towards the best February in history, with the South Korean stock index rising 18% for the month, but technology stocks are under pressure following NVIDIA's earnings report" description: "Asian stock markets continue to show strength, heading towards their best February performance on record. The MSCI Asia-Pacific Index rose 0.15% today and is up 6.3% this month, while South Korea's Ko" type: "news" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/277138111.md" published_at: "2026-02-27T13:49:07.000Z" --- # The Asia-Pacific stock market continues its upward trend, sprinting towards the best February in history, with the South Korean stock index rising 18% for the month, but technology stocks are under pressure following NVIDIA's earnings report > Asian stock markets continue to show strength, heading towards their best February performance on record. The MSCI Asia-Pacific Index rose 0.15% today and is up 6.3% this month, while South Korea's Kospi has increased 18% for the month and 46% year-to-date. The "shovel seller" logic of AI infrastructure has driven the Asia-Pacific region to outperform U.S. stocks for the third consecutive month. However, the market reaction was lukewarm following NVIDIA's earnings report, leading to a pullback in Asian tech stocks today and a decline in U.S. stock futures; U.S. Treasury yields remain at 4%, and gold is approaching its longest monthly winning streak since 1973 On February 27, Asian stock markets are on track for their best February performance ever. Investors are heavily buying companies in the region that provide artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, driving this record increase. The MSCI Asia-Pacific Index, despite a slight rise today, has accumulated a 6.3% increase this month. This is the best February performance for the index since its inception in 1998. The index is also expected to outperform the S&P 500 for the third consecutive month. U.S. stock index futures fell on Friday, indicating that Wall Street's benchmark indices will decline further. As a bellwether for AI investment, South Korea is the standout market in Asia. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) has risen about 18% this month and surged 46% year-to-date, making it the best-performing benchmark index globally. Asian stock markets have outperformed European and U.S. benchmark indices as investors flock to companies supporting AI infrastructure expansion, viewing businesses in the region as "shovel sellers" in the supply chain. In contrast, the disruptive potential of this new technology has been unsettling stocks across various U.S. industries for weeks, a phenomenon referred to as "AI panic trading." Global asset management firms managing over $20 trillion in assets are increasingly bullish on emerging market stocks, currencies, domestic bonds, and credit, which could provide new momentum for the sector's record-breaking rally. Citigroup Inc. reviewed outlooks from some of the world's largest asset management firms and found that funds have increased their long positions in Asia, Latin America, and the Europe, Middle East, and Africa markets. This finding comes as MSCI's main emerging market stock index approaches historical highs. > - **The MSCI Asia-Pacific Index rose 0.15% today, with a cumulative increase of 6.3% this month.** The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) has risen about 18% this month and surged 46% year-to-date. > - **S&P 500 futures fell 0.4%. The Japan Exchange Index rose 0.4%.** The Euro Stoxx 50 futures were little changed. > - **U.S. Treasuries maintained their gains,** with the 10-year Treasury yield hovering around 4%. The yield on Australia's 10-year Treasury fell 5 basis points to 4.65%. > - **The U.S. Dollar Index was little changed.** The euro to U.S. dollar exchange rate was basically flat at $1.1794. The Japanese yen rose 0.1% against the U.S. dollar to 155.95. **The offshore renminbi fell 0.2%** to 6.8575 against the U.S. dollar. > - **Spot gold rose 0.2%** to $5,192.81 per ounce. Gold has increased over 6% in February and is set to record its seventh consecutive month of gains, marking the longest monthly winning streak since 1973. > - **Bitcoin** dipped slightly to $67,288.68, while Ethereum fell to $2,018.49. > - **WTI crude oil** fell 0.4% to $64.98 per barrel. ## **NVIDIA's earnings report "failed to dispel AI concerns," putting pressure on tech stocks** On Friday, technology stocks became the biggest decliners in the Asian market. This followed a decline in Wall Street's benchmark indices, with market sentiment weighed down by a tepid reaction to NVIDIA's earnings report Hardika Singh from Fundstrat Global Advisors stated that the market's calm reaction to NVIDIA (despite its revenue, net profit, and guidance exceeding expectations) is partly because investors have now become accustomed to such outstanding performance. "However, it failed to alleviate investors' concerns about its shrinking moat in an ever-evolving computing world, nor did it explain its game plan in the AI disruption that could upend various businesses from cybersecurity to food delivery to banking," she said. ## **AI news continues to dominate after-hours trading** Meanwhile, even after the New York close, AI-related news continues to impact the market. Jack Dorsey's payment giant Block Inc. soared over 20% in after-hours trading after reports emerged that the company would cut nearly half of its workforce (about 4,000 positions) to pivot towards AI. Dell Technologies' stock also surged in extended trading after the company provided a better-than-expected outlook for AI server sales. ## **Other asset performances: Gold rises, US Treasury yields hit year-low** In other corners of the market, U.S. Treasuries maintained gains, with the 10-year Treasury yield hovering around 4%. During U.S. trading hours, it briefly touched its lowest point of the year. Earlier on Friday, Australia's 10-year Treasury yield fell 5 basis points to 4.65%. The dollar showed mixed movements. After a round of discussions on Thursday, the U.S. and Iran agreed to hold more nuclear talks next week, stabilizing oil prices. The market remains tense due to the U.S. military's significant deployment in the Middle East. Additionally, gold is on track to achieve its longest monthly winning streak since 1973, with a rise of over 6% in February marking the seventh consecutive month of gains. In Japan, Tokyo's core inflation gauge has slowed to its lowest level in over a year, as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's utility subsidies have suppressed household energy costs. The yen strengthened slightly on Friday. ### Related Stocks - [NVDA.US - NVIDIA](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVDA.US.md) - [NVDY.US - YieldMax NVDA Option Income Strategy ETF](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVDY.US.md) - [SOXX.US - iShares Semiconductor ETF](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SOXX.US.md) - [SOXL.US - Direxion Semicon Bull 3X](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SOXL.US.md) - [XLK.US - Spdr Select Tech](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/XLK.US.md) - [NVDS.US - AXS 1.5X NVDA Bear Daily ETF](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVDS.US.md) - [NVDQ.US - T-Rex 2X Inverse NVIDIA Daily Target ETF](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVDQ.US.md) - [ARTY.US - iShares Future AI & Tech ETF](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/ARTY.US.md) - [NVDU.US - Direxion Daily NVDA Bull 2X Shares](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVDU.US.md) - [EWY.US - ISHRS MSCI S Korea Capped](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/EWY.US.md) ## Related News & Research | Title | Description | URL | |-------|-------------|-----| | 英偉達業績遠高預期 指引炸裂盤後橫行 | 英偉達公佈 2026 財年第四財季業績，營收 681.27 億美元，同比增長 73%，超出市場預期。數據中心業務貢獻超九成營收，非 GAAP 毛利率升至 75.2%。公司展望下一財季，營收指引為 780 億美元，環比增長 14.5%，高於分 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276987566.md) | | Nvidia 收入再創新高 揚言 AI 代理已達拐點 算力轉化收入 惟銷售集中惹擔憂 | 英偉達（Nvidia）第四季業績超預期，整體收入及數據中心收入創新高，CEO 黃仁勳表示 AI 算力已達拐點，預計第一財季收入約 780 億美元。儘管數據中心銷售集中引發擔憂，股價在盤後交易中一度上漲 4%，但分析師會議期間曾下跌 1.5% | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/276976069.md) | | Sandisk 與 SK 海力士合作 啟動「HBF 標準化」相關 ETF 急升 14% | Sandisk 與 SK 海力士於 25 日聯合啟動「HBF 規格標準化聯盟」，發布面向 AI 推理時代的 HBF（High Bandwidth Flash）儲存技術標準化戰略。預計到 2030 年，HBF 相關內存解決方案需求將全面擴張。 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/277005950.md) | | Perplexity 深度整合至三星手機 一鍵啟動 AI 助手 首獲系統層級存取權限 | AI 初創企業 Perplexity 與三星 Galaxy S26 手機達成深度合作，用户可通過「Hey Plex」或長按側面按鈕啟動助手。Perplexity 應用預裝於 S26 手機，首次獲得系統層級存取權限，能讀取及寫入三星原生應用。 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/277135277.md) | | 韓國計劃在三月份出售價值 133 億美元的國債 | 韓國將在 3 月份出售價值 133 億美元的國債 | [Link](https://longbridge.com/en/news/277066850.md) | --- > **Disclaimer**: This article is for reference only and does not constitute any investment advice.