Asia stocks slide into weekend as tech rout weighs and China trade surprises

Asian equity markets opened weak on Friday as a sharp tech‑led sell‑off in the U.S. and disappointing Chinese trade data rekindled risk‑off sentiment. Japan’s Nikkei slid over 2%, South Korea’s KOSPI fell about 1.4%, and futures tied to India’s Nifty 50 traded lower ahead of the domestic open. The decline came despite earlier optimism around corporate earnings in Asia, as investors reassessed lofty valuations in semiconductor and AI names. Safe‑haven assets including the yen and long‑dated U.S. Treasuries advanced, underlining growing caution across the region.