Nov 10, 2026 · 8 min
Asian AI rally widens as Japan’s stocks retreat
Softbank Earnings, Japan Tobacco Down, Minimax Up
The episode maps a sharp regional rotation from pressured Japanese defensives and SoftBank toward Asian technology, Chinese AI, and robotics shares.
- 1Taiwanese and Korean technology stocks rallied as investors reassessed Nvidia’s supply chain and competing AI chips.
- 2Japan’s domestic and defensive shares fell, with Japan Tobacco and SoftBank among the companies facing pressure.
- 3Chinese AI and robotics stocks gained as retail investors embraced risk while hedge funds reduced exposure.
Don't miss
The clearest contrast comes as Japanese defensives and SoftBank weaken while Chinese AI and robotics shares attract renewed risk appetite.
The brief
Caroline Hepker and Anthony Stephens track a regional market rotation, with Taiwan and Korea’s technology sectors gaining as investors reassess Nvidia’s supply chain and competing AI chips.
Taiwan’s rally reflects market stabilization efforts and local retail buying, while Google’s competing AI chips add another layer to the debate over semiconductor leadership.
Japan tells the opposite story: domestic and defensive stocks, including Japan Tobacco, Kikkoman, Takeda, Daiichi Sankyo, and SoftBank, came under pressure.
Chinese large-language-model and robotics companies rose as investors moved toward riskier technology plays, helped by retail enthusiasm even as hedge funds reduced exposure.
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