The Albany Gazette - Asian stocks mostly up after tech-led Wall St record

Oil held most of the losses seen in response to a G7 release of stockpiles, Saudi Arabia's price cut and a pick-up in Gulf exports to pre-war levels, though supply fears are keeping prices elevated.

The US Nasdaq closed at a fresh peak thanks to rallies in tech giants including Nvidia, SpaceX and Meta, though observers pointed out that the market gains were increasingly concentrated on a few stocks.

Asia struggled to match the positive energy on Wall Street in the morning but picked up as the day progressed.

Tokyo added more than one percent, while Hong Kong, Sydney, Singapore, Mumbai, Bangkok, Jakarta and Wellington also rose, but Seoul and Manila edged down. Shanghai was closed for a holiday.

London, Paris and Frankfurt opened higher.

Still, there remains plenty of uncertainty among traders over the Middle East crisis, which has fanned energy costs and in turn pushed inflation higher -- putting pressure on central banks to hike interest rates.

This has pushed government bond yields up to levels not seen for decades.

Analysts have pointed out that the race to build out AI data centres, servers and chips has compounded that problem, with tech titans no longer able to rely on their vast piles of cash.

Borrowing by firms including Google, Amazon and Microsoft hit around $500 billion in the nine months since January, and Goldman Sachs expects a further ramp-up in 2027, to $1.2 trillion.

"This is not something that we've seen before," said Chris Della Fave, senior vice president at fundraising advisory firm Post Oak Group, who estimates that AI now accounts for 25 percent of all corporate bond issuance -- up from 4 percent two years ago.

Oil prices sank to extend Monday's drop, with Brent back below $100.

However, Saudi Aramco's chief executive Amin Nasser -- speaking after the G7 release -- warned over global stockpiles.

"The system is already straining," he told the Energy Intelligence Forum in London.

"And with precious little else the world can turn to, the supply resilience cushion is scarily thin."

Middle East oil exports, excluding Iran, surpassed their pre-war levels last week despite attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, according to data from the maritime tracking firm Kpler.

But Nasser warned Monday against looking at headline figures for reserves, noting that "less than 10 percent" were available.

And FOREX.com's Fiona Cincotta said: "Tensions in the Middle East remain elevated, with several vessels coming under attack around the coast of Oman and Yemen.

"This could limit the downside in oil prices, particularly if disruptions to shipping or regional supply intensify.

"The key question is whether improving crude supply can outweigh the geopolitical risk premium and keep oil prices under control. A sustained decline in energy prices would ease some of the inflation pressure currently complicating the outlook for central banks."

- Key figures at around 0715 GMT -

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.1 percent at 70,683.98 (close)

Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.8 percent at 24,221.54

London - FTSE 100: UP 0.5 percent at 10,552.18

Shanghai - Composite: Closed for a holiday

Dollar/yen: DOWN at 158.10 yen from 157.99 yen on Monday

Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1210 from $1.1217

Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3215 from $1.3221

Euro/pound: DOWN at 84.83 pence from 84.84 pence

West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.7 percent at $88.78 per barrel

Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.6 percent at $99.73 per barrel

New York - Dow: UP 0.2 percent at 51,267.90 (close)

(E.Taylor--TAG)