World shares mixed after sharp Wall Street losses on AI-related worries
[February 13, 2026] By
CHAN HO-HIM
HONG KONG (AP) — World shares were mixed on Friday, following sharp Wall
Street losses on a sell-off of technology-related stocks that investors
fear could lose out from artificial intelligence disruptions.
U.S. futures edged lower. The future for the S&P 500 fell less than
0.1%, while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.1% lower.
In Europe, Germany’s DAX was up less than 0.1% to 24,860.94 in early
trading. Britain’s FTSE gained 0.2% to 10,424.39, while the CAC 40 in
Paris lost 0.2% to 8,323.44.
Asia shares were trading lower. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 fell 1.2% to
56,941.97. SoftBank Group, which has a focus on AI, lost 8.9% even after
the company reported a $1.6 billion quarterly profit Thursday building
on its investments in OpenAI, among other gains.
South Korea’s Kospi was down 0.3% to 5,507.01 despite earlier gains.
Samsung Electronics, the country's largest listed company, was up 1.5%.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 1.7% to 26,567.12. The Shanghai Composite
index was down 1.3% to 4,082.07.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 traded 1.4% lower, while India's Sensex
was down 1.1%.
On Thursday, Wall Street saw sharp losses as AI worries dampened
sentiment. The S&P 500 fell for its second-worst day since Thanksgiving,
dropping 1.6%, or 108.71, to 6,832.76, but it's still near an all-time
high that was set last month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down
1.3%, or 669.42, to 49,451.98. The Nasdaq composite lost 2%, or 469.32,
to 22,597.15.
American technology giant Cisco Systems sank 12.3% even though it
reported better-than-expected quarterly results, as investors were
concerned about its ongoing profitability.
Shares of technology company AppLovin plunged 19.7% despite
better-than-expected quarterly profits as worries over AI undercutting
its business weighed on its stock price.
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 Fears of AI disruptions across
industries in recent days have hit investor confidence in companies,
especially in software stocks. Some analysts say uncertainties
surrounding the AI disruption risk are likely to go on for a while.
Many remained concerned about whether massive AI investments by
companies will eventually pay off.
But other analysts are more optimistic. Economists at Capital
Economics, for example, argue that they still believe in the AI
rally, and that this year will be a “good year” for the S&P 500,
building on the technology-led gains.
“Our sense remains that a sustained reversal of tech outperformance
would require a big slide in tech itself,” Thomas Mathews, head of
markets for Asia Pacific at Capital Economics wrote in a recent
note. “We think tech will fare very well.”
For other U.S. stocks, McDonald’s was up 2.7% following
stronger-than-expected profits. Walmart gained 3.8%.
Investors and economists are also paying close attention to the U.S.
inflation data set to be released Friday, which could impact on the
Federal Reserve’s interest rate moves. Some economists expect the
likelihood of another rate cut is low for the next few months.
In other dealings early Friday, U.S. benchmark crude oil lost 0.1%
to $62.75 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, fell
less than 0.1% to $67.46 per barrel.
Gold and silver prices gained. The price of gold — which earlier
fell back below $5,000 per ounce — was up 0.4% to $4,970.30. The
price of silver rose 1% to $76.45 per ounce.
The U.S. dollar rose to 153.38 Japanese yen from 152.72 yen. The
euro was trading at $1.1857, down from $1.1871.
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