Pre-market indications at the Swiss stock exchange pointed to a friendly start for the Swiss Market Index. Investor attention remained focused on Wall Street course developments following the United States Federal Reserve interest rate decision. Large-capitalization growth titles showed overall weakness following disappointing earnings presentations, with ServiceNow leading the after-hours downward trend with a loss of 18.2 percent. Alphabet shares dropped more than 10 percent, while Salesforce gave up 6.0 percent. Countering the trend were KLA Corp, up 3.5 percent, Gilead Sciences, higher by 2.9 percent, and Microsoft, which gained 2.7 percent. Early in the morning, the US technology index Nasdaq was indicated around 1 percent lower, while the gold price fell 0.6 percent and Bitcoin dropped 1.1 percent.
Asian stock exchanges gave up their initial gains as mixed reactions to business figures from the artificial intelligence sector caused uncertainty among investors. In South Korea, Samsung Electronics reported a record profit that nearly multiplied by nine in the third quarter, yet the chipmaker's share price fell 4.13 percent because the net profit missed analyst expectations. This pulled the broader Kospi index down by 2.6 percent, pushing the South Korean stock market clearly into negative territory. Competitor SK Hynix also lost a portion of its gains but still traded 1.14 percent higher, while the broader MSCI index for Asian shares outside Japan dropped 0.7 percent.
In Tokyo, the 225-issue Nikkei index rose 0.2 percent to 64,105.62 points following an upgraded profit forecast by chip equipment maker Advantest, while the broader Topix traded 0.3 percent lower at 3,977.84 points. Advantest shares climbed 5.4 percent after the company revised its annual operating profit forecast upward by 14 percent. Many other chip and AI-related equities relinquished their initial gains, with Tokyo Electron falling 0.9 percent and SoftBank Group dropping 0.6 percent. Hitachi shares plunged 8.7 percent despite an upgraded profit forecast. Technology reporting seasons were in full swing across Japan, South Korea, and the US, with hundreds of Japanese firms scheduled to release results and the Bank of Japan awaiting a rate decision.
In China, the Shanghai Stock Exchange lost 0.9 percent to 3,647.12 points, and the primary enterprise index in Shanghai and Shenzhen fell 1.2 percent to 4,034.81 points. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong advanced 0.2 percent. In Asian foreign exchange trading, the dollar gained marginally to 157.75 yen and ticked higher to 6.6614 yuan, while edging up against the Swiss franc to 0.8281 francs. Simultaneously, the euro remained nearly unchanged at 1.1145 dollars and rose slightly to 0.9229 francs.
Oil prices declined, reversing gains from the previous session. North Sea Brent crude cheapened by 1.1 percent to 114.10 dollars per barrel of 159 liters, and US WTI oil traded 1.3 percent weaker at 101.44 dollars. Hopes for peace talks dampened traders' concerns over supply disruptions in the Middle East stemming from the escalating regional conflict. According to a Wall Street Journal report, US Vice President JD Vance had attempted to revive peace negotiations in a letter to the head of Iran's security council, Mohsen Rezaei. Selling pressure predominated given expectations that peace talks could resume, though the decline remained limited due to worries over intensified attacks by the Houthi militia and fears that the US might strike Iran again following mid-term elections on November 3.
US stock markets closed in positive territory following the expected interest rate confirmation by the Federal Reserve and accompanying statements. This applied primarily to technology values on the Nasdaq, where the recovery continued. AI-themed equities regained popularity, though Microsoft and Alphabet awaited investors after the US closing bell. The technology-heavy Nasdaq 100 ended up 0.55 percent at 29,813.16 points, achieving its highest level in a week and testing the short- to medium-term 50-day moving average line. The broad-based S&P 500 closed 0.28 percent higher at 7,743.98 points, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.19 percent to 52,475.10 points. Following September's first rate hike in years, US monetary policymakers left the benchmark interest rate unchanged, while markets watched for potential tightening in December as anticipated by investors.
