PRE-MARKET TAIWAN AND SINGAPORE STOCKS NEWS: Tech stocks are hit and Emini Nasdaq 100 is down 1.2% after AI executives called for a slowdown in AI development

The dominant thread here is the AI narrative risk rather than anything on the tape itself: open letters and executive calls to slow AI development have periodically knocked semiconductor and AI-linked names, with the selling concentrated in the highest-beta parts of the complex and the broader index following the Nasdaq futures rather than leading it. In past episodes of this kind the initial move has tended to be sentiment-driven and partially retraced unless it is followed by concrete policy action, so the tell is whether any regulator or government body picks up the call, and whether the weakness broadens from chip names into the wider equity tape. Taiwan-specific, the rate-hike pressure story is a familiar pattern for a small open economy running well above trend on a tech export boom: central banks in this position have historically tolerated some overheating where the currency and export competitiveness argue against tightening, and the currency reaction on any actual hike has typically been restrained given the growth backdrop that justifies it. The Optus outage is operationally serious but has limited precedent for sustained share price damage in telecoms; outages of this kind have historically mattered mainly where they recur or attract regulatory penalties, which is the follow-on to watch for Singtel.