Why it matters
- Asian stocks fell on Friday, Oct. 30, because disappointing results from big U.S. tech companies revived doubts about AI spending, Trading Economics said. South Korea's Kospi fell 3.48% and Japan's Nikkei 225 2.12%, Yahoo Finance data showed.
- The Bank of Japan held its policy rate at around 1.25% in an 8–1 vote and more than doubled the planned pace of its ETF sales to about 860 billion yen a year, its statement said.
- The week was mixed. The Kospi still gained 3.25% and the Nikkei 0.95% from Oct. 23, while China's Shenzhen Component lost 7.20%, Yahoo Finance data showed.
Session recap: what happened in this region's trading day, with sources.
Asian stocks fell on Friday, Oct. 30, because disappointing earnings from major U.S. technology companies, including Alphabet, Amazon and Intel, revived worries about the payoff from artificial intelligence spending, Trading Economics said. South Korea's Kospi fell 3.48%, Taiwan's Taiex 2.49% and Japan's Nikkei 225 2.12%, according to Yahoo Finance data, while the Bank of Japan kept its policy rate at around 1.25%. Hong Kong, Australia and India bucked the trend and rose.
| Market | Friday close | Day | Week (vs. Oct. 23) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nikkei 225 (Japan) | 63,290.11 | −2.12% | +0.95% |
| Kospi (South Korea) | 5,730.74 | −3.48% | +3.25% |
| Taiex (Taiwan) | 45,211.83 | −2.49% | −1.8%* |
| Hang Seng (Hong Kong) | 23,294.42 | +1.46% | +0.87% |
| Shanghai Composite (China) | 3,599.02 | −1.44% | −2.48% |
| Shenzhen Component (China) | 10,833.78 | −2.73% | −7.20% |
| S&P/ASX 200 (Australia) | 8,908.10 | +0.18% | +1.28% |
| Sensex (India) | 74,459.53 | +0.42% | +1.83% |
| Nifty 50 (India) | 23,053.10 | +0.51% | +2.00% |
Source: Yahoo Finance daily chart data; daily changes are from Thursday, Oct. 29, closes and weekly changes from Friday, Oct. 23, closes. The ASX 200 is Yahoo Finance's last price after the close. \Taiex weekly change per Trading Economics, because Yahoo Finance shows no Oct. 23 close.*
Why did Asian stocks fall today?
Asian tech stocks fell because Alphabet's results and the outlooks from Amazon and Intel, released after Wall Street's close on Wednesday and Thursday, deepened doubts about chip demand and returns on AI investment, Trading Economics said. Chipmakers took the biggest hits across Tokyo, Seoul and Taipei.
The drop extended Thursday's losses; see our Asia Thursday recap.
What did the Bank of Japan decide?
The Bank of Japan kept its guideline for the overnight call rate at around 1.25% in an 8–1 vote, its Statement on Monetary Policy said on Friday. Board member Hajime Takata dissented and proposed raising it to around 1.5%, arguing that underlying inflation had reached the bank's price target. The board also voted unanimously to raise the pace of its ETF sales to about 860 billion yen a year, from about 330 billion yen, on a book value basis, starting in January 2027. The statement was released at 12:02 p.m. Tokyo time (03:02 GMT). The next meeting is Dec. 17-18, the BoJ's schedule shows.
The yen was at about 157.31 per dollar around 13:20 GMT, slightly stronger than about 157.83 at Thursday's close, Yahoo Finance data showed.
How did Japan and South Korea trade?
The Nikkei 225 fell 1,369.36 points to 63,290.11, ending a three-day winning streak, Trading Economics said. Yahoo Finance data showed Lasertec down 8.81%, Kioxia 7.14%, SoftBank Group 5.96%, Advantest 5.86% and Tokyo Electron 5.19%.
The Kospi fell 206.92 points to 5,730.74, a second straight loss, after overnight declines on Wall Street, Trading Economics said. SK hynix fell 7.08%, Hyundai Motor 3.59% and Samsung Electronics 3.02%, Yahoo Finance data showed.
How did China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Australia trade?
The Shanghai Composite fell 1.44% and the Shenzhen Component 2.73%, with both at their lowest levels in more than a year, Trading Economics said. Eoptolink Technology fell 14.19% and Zhongji Innolight 4.99%, despite strong profit gains, it said.
The Hang Seng rose 1.46% to 23,294.42 on gains in energy, technology services and financial shares, Trading Economics said, but was still down 4.5% for October. Yahoo Finance data showed AIA up 5.23% and Meituan 3.47%.
Taiwan's Taiex fell 1,156.50 points to 45,211.83, Yahoo Finance data showed, with TSMC down 1.86%. Australia's ASX 200 edged up 0.18%, and gained 1.3% for the week, Trading Economics said; Coles fell 7.6% on weak supermarket sales.
What comes next?
Europe's session is in our Europe Friday recap, and U.S. futures, wage data and Intel's slide are in our day-ahead guide. China's official October PMIs are due on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 01:30 GMT, Trading Economics' calendar shows. Live levels are on the markets page.
Follow the rest of the trading day on our global market today page, with the latest Asia, Europe and Americas session recaps.
Sources
- Bank of Japan, Statement on Monetary Policy (Oct. 30, 2026)
- Bank of Japan, Monetary Policy Meetings schedule
- Trading Economics, Japan stock market (Nikkei 225)
- Trading Economics, South Korea stock market (Kospi)
- Trading Economics, China stock market
- Trading Economics, Hong Kong stock market (Hang Seng)
- Trading Economics, Taiwan stock market (Taiex)
- Trading Economics, Australia stock market (ASX 200)
- Trading Economics, China economic calendar
- Yahoo Finance, chart data for the Nikkei 225, Kospi, Taiex, Hang Seng, Shanghai Composite, Shenzhen Component, S&P/ASX 200, Sensex, Nifty 50, Lasertec, Kioxia, SoftBank Group, Advantest, Tokyo Electron, SK hynix, Hyundai Motor, Samsung Electronics, AIA, Meituan, TSMC and USD/JPY