SoftBank Leads Asian Tech Selloff as AI Spending Jitters Ripple Through Markets
SoftBank Group shares tumbled 4.33% on Monday, dragging down Japan’s tech sector amid growing skepticism about the sustainability of AI-related capital expenditures. The decline mirrored overnight weakness in Nasdaq-listed AI plays like Nvidia and Oracle, where profit-taking erased $78 billion in market value.
Tokyo Electron and Advantest slid 3-5%, compounding pressure on the Nikkei 225’s 1.2% retreat. Market technicians note critical support levels breached in semiconductor ETFs suggest further downside—a warning echoed by BlackRock’s iShares division in client briefings.
Private credit funds continue financing data center expansions despite public market tremors. Blue Owl Capital reportedly closed $2.1 billion in infrastructure debt deals last week, while KKR’s latest regulatory filing revealed $900 million earmarked for AI-powered logistics real estate.
