MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 3.8% on Friday, extending its weekly loss to 5.4% as investors took profits from a record run.
The sell-off was driven by concerns that aggressive pricing strategies at major technology firms are beginning to dampen consumer demand, with the technology sector leading the decline.
The market pullback follows Apple Inc.'s confirmation that it is raising prices on its MacBook and iPad product lines.
The price increases are a direct response to a severe global shortage of memory chips, which has driven up component costs for manufacturers.
Apple shares fell in trading Thursday as the market digested the implications of these margin-preserving but demand-risking moves.
This development highlights a critical inflection point for the semiconductor supply chain.