Asian stock markets plunged.

Asian stock markets fell in the afternoon session on February 2nd amid investor sentiment weighed down by concerns about a technology valuation bubble, new geopolitical developments, and the outlook for interest rates in the US.

Stock market index board in Hong Kong, China. Photo: THX/VNA

In Tokyo, Japan, the Nikkei 225 index fell 1.3% to 52,655.18 points.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 2.9% to 26,601.18 points, while Shanghai's Shanghai Composite index dropped 2.5% to 4,015.75 points.

The Seoul market (South Korea) plunged more than 5%, with shares of chip giant SK Hynix losing 8% and Samsung shares falling more than 6%. The Sydney and Singapore markets also saw declines.

Notably, the Jakarta market plummeted by more than 5% after MSCI requested that the country's regulators review ownership issues and warned it would postpone adding Indonesian stocks to its index baskets.

Following a period of rapid growth fueled by the artificial intelligence (AI) craze in January 2026, the stock market has reversed sharply. Investors are beginning to question the effectiveness of the massive investments poured into this sector after Microsoft announced a surge in spending on AI infrastructure, raising concerns that the company will take a long time to recoup its investment.

Meanwhile, the precious metals market is under significant pressure from the recovery of the US dollar. The greenback strengthened sharply after President Trump chose Kevin Warsh, a former Fed official and Morgan Stanley executive, to replace outgoing Jerome Powell as Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Traders view Warsh as someone with a hawkish stance on inflation, which reinforces expectations of a monetary policy that supports the US dollar.

In Vietnam, the VN-Index fell 23.54 points (1.23%) to 1,806.50 points, while the HNX-Index rose 4.26 points (1.26%) to 260.39 points.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thi-truong-tien-te/thi-truong-chung-khoan-chau-a-do-lua-20260202153151092.htm