05:40 AM EST, 11/06/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets largely fell back on Friday, on traders' concerns that new political leadership in Washington could cramp the data-center spending boom, cutting demand for chips.

Brent crude futures traded up 1.3% to $96.83 during Asian market hours, adding to negative sentiments.

Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo finished in the red, as did most other regional exchanges. Seoul's KOSPI index fell 6%, pressured by a 10.4% decline in semiconductor-maker SK Hynix (SKHY) shares.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened lower and fell to the bell, finishing off 6% as traders backed away from AI-related shares.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 declined 3,643.13 to 57,434.77, as losing issues outnumbered losers 224 to three.

Leading the upside was air-conditioner maker Daikin Industries, up 1.5%, while Japan Tobacco sank 19.3% after reporting its four manufacturing plants in Russia have placed under "temporary administration" by Moscow.

In economic news, average cash earnings in Japan rose by 4.6% on-year in September, the fastest annual expansion since 1997, reported the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened lower and could not recover, closing off 1.3% in soft tech and property issues.

The broad gauge Hang Seng fell 315.12 to 24,481.86 as losing issues outnumbered gainers 61 to 33. The Hang Seng TECH Index lost 1.8% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index fell 1.2%.

Leading the upside was athletic-wear maker Li Ning, gaining 5.2%, while Weichai Power declined 7.5%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite fell 1.1% to 3,649.18.

On the other regional exchanges, the Taiwan TWSE declined 4.5%; the Australian ASX 200 declined 0.5%; the Singapore Straits Times Index fell 2.2%, and the Thai Set declined 2.2%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was up 2.2%.

MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index fell 3.9% on the day.

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