Asian markets saw a strong rally on October 27, 2026, driven by Anthropic’s initial public offering (IPO) filing, which sparked optimism ahead of key tech earnings reports and central bank meetings. Anthropic, the company behind the AI assistant Claude, revealed significant revenue growth but also substantial losses in its IPO disclosure. This filing has investors closely examining the balance between AI spending and profitability.
Meta Platforms also contributed to the positive sentiment with plans to raise up to US$95 billion in its largest-ever equity fund-raising. Meanwhile, currency markets remained subdued as traders awaited policy decisions from the US Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, and Bank of Japan. Economists expect all three central banks to maintain current interest rates, with the focus shifting to policymakers' comments for insights into future rate movements.
Stocks in the region surged, with South Korea’s KOSPI up over 4% and Japan’s Nikkei rising 1.9%. MSCI’s Asia-Pacific index outside Japan gained 1.2%. Nasdaq futures climbed 0.4%, following a 2.8% overnight jump in US chip stocks. Over a third of S&P 500 companies, including Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon, are set to report earnings this week, with investors seeking evidence of broad AI demand beyond interconnected relationships.
In commodities, Brent crude futures dipped 0.7% to US$114.95 per barrel, easing from a six-month high amid hopes of a resolution in the US-Israeli war with Iran. The Japanese yen remained a preferred safe-haven currency, trading at 157.72 per dollar ahead of the Bank of Japan’s decision on October 30. The BOJ is expected to declare victory in its 14-year effort to hit a 2% inflation target and signal a potential rate hike as soon as December. Gold prices eased slightly to US$4,013.70 per ounce.