Asian equities hit the brakes after their recent momentum. Japan's weakness weighed particularly hard as Sino-Japanese tensions flared up. Meanwhile, crude prices took a hit following chatter about Venezuelan supply shifts. Yet here's the thing—traders aren't bailing on their AI bets. The market's still banking on the Fed easing cycle, brushing past the geopolitical noise like a filter. It's that classic move: tune out the headlines, stay plugged into the structural thesis. Whether this resilience holds once the next policy signal drops? That's the real question hanging over positions right now.