Published: 5 November 2026

The question of what US politics means for Asian connectivity investment now heads to ITW Asia in Singapore. Shares in Japanese fibre-optic cable makers Fujikura and Furukawa Electric were down 8.2% and 9% respectively in morning trade on Wednesday, as Democratic gains in the US midterm elections hit stocks tied to AI infrastructure, Reuters reported.

Key points

• The Nikkei 225 fell as much as 4.8% intraday, with memory maker Kioxia and capacitor maker Taiyo Yuden down more than 13% at their lows, per Bloomberg.

• - Chip-testing equipment maker Advantest fell 6.4%, Tokyo Electron 5% and SoftBank Group about 7%, Reuters reported.

• - The index recovered much of the loss in the afternoon to close 1.42% lower at 62,188.63.

• - Nasdaq 100 futures erased a drop of as much as 2.4% after President Trump noted he would accept the results, Bloomberg reported.

• - By late November 2024, Fujikura was the year’s best performer on the Nikkei 225, with its shares up more than 400%, Fortune reported at the time.

• Background and analysis. The story fits a broader pattern: AI infrastructure decisions made in Europe and other overseas markets are reshaping supply chains, procurement practices and competitive dynamics worldwide. With power equipment, land and grid connections all in short supply, the playbook for building at scale is being rewritten in real time — and the lessons travel quickly across regions.

• Our take. For anyone building or buying AI infrastructure, the practical lesson is to plan further ahead than instinct suggests. Whether the bottleneck is silicon, transformers or optical links, the winners are securing their constraints years before they need them.

• Source: Capacity, "Fibre makers slide 9% as US midterms rattle Tokyo’s AI supply chain", 4 November 2026. https://capacityglobal.com/news/fibre-makers-slide-as-us-midterms-rattle-tokyo-ai-supply-chain/