Asian markets and US futures fall on Nvidia leadership crisis

Asian stock markets and US futures fell Thursday as concerns over Nvidia's leadership weighed on AI-related shares, following reports the chipmaker's board discussed CEO Jensen Huang's extramarital affair with a Chinese woman, raising national security concerns. Nvidia shares dropped 8.6% in after-hours trading after the company said it was investigating Huang, who admitted to a relationship with a businesswoman accused of passing intelligence and advanced chips to China. Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 0.7%, Taiwan's Taiex lost 2.6%, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng declined 1.3%. The declines come amid broader investor worries about AI sector profitability, though Wednesday saw gains led by CoreWeave's 24.7% surge on better-than-expected losses. Oil prices fell slightly, with WTI at $86.29 and Brent at $92.51 per barrel.