Anthropic IPO Filing Rekindles AI Trade as Korean Stocks Jump 3.1%

Anthropic PBC filed its S-1 IPO registration statement, reviving attention on the AI sector after concerns over elevated valuations and heavy capital expenditure had driven a sharp pullback. Asian technology shares led the regional move. South Korea’s Kospi closed up 3.1% at 5,638.35, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.7% to 63,268.37 and the Topix gained 0.6% to 3,997.37. The broader backdrop remained mixed. Nasdaq 100 futures were down 0.1%, Brent crude fell about 1% to around $114.70 per barrel, and spot gold dropped below $4,000 per ounce, down 0.4% on the day. The US 10-year Treasury yield fell 2 basis points to 4.97%. Large technology funding plans added to the AI narrative: Meta Platforms is seeking to raise as much as $95 billion, Broadcom arranged a $63 billion chip-purchase financing transaction, and SpaceX signed an equipment-financing lease agreement worth about $40 billion. The next major tests are the Federal Reserve’s Wednesday rate decision and earnings from Alphabet and Microsoft on Wednesday, followed by Amazon and Intel on Thursday. Market focus includes Big Tech capital-spending plans and whether AI investment is generating commensurate returns.