BUSINESS

South Korea's KOSPI rose 2.81% to 6,903.94 as lower oil prices and an anticipated US Federal Reserve rate rise eased inflation concerns, with institutions driving broad gains.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke says lowering net overseas migration will create economic trade-offs, with farmers warning that limits on working holidaymakers could worsen labour shortages and raise food prices.

IBM shares fell 3.2% amid pressure on infrastructure and mainframe operations, despite resilient software growth, strong cash flow and ongoing investment in AI and quantum computing.

Forgent Power Solutions shares rose nearly 12% after the company reported record quarterly results, strong bookings and backlog growth, and raised its full-year earnings guidance.

AMD shares rose 4.15% in midmorning trading as semiconductor stocks recovered from recent losses linked to concerns that AI safety debates could slow infrastructure spending.

Intel shares climbed after reports that SK hynix is considering using Intel's US capacity and CEO Lip-Bu Tan said the company can meet only about half of customer CPU demand.

Riot Platforms shares gained as investors continued backing its shift into AI data centres, following a long-term Anthropic capacity agreement worth an estimated $9.1 billion.

Salesforce shares traded nearly flat after a global outage disrupted hundreds of customer instances during Dreamforce, as investors appeared to treat the technical failure as temporary.

Cipher Digital shares rose 11.25% as investors focused on its transition from bitcoin mining to AI data centres, a growing hyperscale backlog and upcoming facility launches.

GameStop's pursuit of eBay remains unresolved, with reports suggesting Ryan Cohen may favour a partnership over the proposed $56bn takeover while retaining a substantial stake in the company.

Salesforce resolved a global service outage lasting about four hours, but the company has not disclosed its financial cost, while customer losses and reputational damage remain difficult to quantify.

A global Salesforce outage disrupted access to core services across several countries during Dreamforce, with the company tracing the incident to an internal login service bottleneck.

Owala is releasing five Pokémon-themed FreeSip water bottles exclusively at Target to mark Pokémon's 30th anniversary, with designs featuring several of the franchise's best-known characters.

Elon Musk leads Forbes' wealthiest Americans for a fifth consecutive year with $908 billion, while the combined fortune of the Forbes 400 reaches a record $8 trillion.

Samsung co-led a $231 million funding round for Dutch startup Euclyd, seeking exposure to AI inference chips, memory-centric architecture and alternatives to Nvidia's market dominance.

Growing businesses can ease operational pressure by automating repetitive workflows, setting clear limits on AI systems and moving infrequently used equipment or inventory into organised external storage.

South Korea's KOSPI rose 1.37% as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix recovered, though investors remained cautious ahead of the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision and amid geopolitical tensions.

Codan shares climbed 7.5% to $48.94, extending a year-long rally fuelled by record fiscal 2026 results, defence communications demand and renewed growth in Metal Detection.

Commercial property finance costs depend on more than the interest rate. For Australian business owners, LVRs, valuations, fees, loan terms and documentation can significantly affect borrowing costs.

Beach Energy shares gained 3.45% as Brent crude remained above $107 a barrel, offering relief despite weaker production, operational challenges and a 26% year-to-date decline.

James Hardie shares fell 5.08% on the ASX as rising bond yields pressured highly valued growth stocks, while housing concerns and interest-rate uncertainty continued to weigh on sentiment.

Infratil shares gained 5.5% on the ASX as AI-linked stocks rebounded, with rising CDC Data Centres valuations, contracted capacity and strong growth expectations supporting the investment case.

Australia's ASX 200 recovered modestly after reaching an 11-week low, but remains under pressure from rising global bond yields, expected rate increases, AI concerns and broader market weakness.

Tag Markets says its brokerage is designed for traders with different levels of experience and preferences, offering education, independent trading, CopyX copy trading and varied account structures.

LeBron James has invested in Southern California birria brand Mike's Red Tacos, which is preparing to open its first Pasadena restaurant and expand through hundreds of franchise locations.

Advanced Micro Devices shares rose 3.48% as semiconductor stocks recovered from Monday's AI-driven sell-off, despite continued uncertainty over spending, interest rates and future demand.

Dell Technologies shares rose 4.68% in midmorning trading after a sell-off, as investors focused on record AI server orders, stronger guidance and a $95 billion backlog.

Bitcoin fell to $76,150 as markets priced in a likely Federal Reserve rate rise, while sustained US spot Bitcoin ETF outflows and selling by long-term holders pressured prices.

Forgent Power Solutions reported record fourth-quarter results, with revenue up 94%, bookings soaring 375% and backlog reaching $3 billion as shares gained 10.09%.