Global equities saw a general decline on Wednesday, primarily influenced by the significant impact on Nvidia and other tech firms following stringent US restrictions on the export of advanced computer chips essential for artificial intelligence development.

The S&P 500 futures experienced a decline of 1.2%, concurrently with the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures falling by 0.6%.

Following an announcement that the United States had implemented more stringent regulations on exports of a computer chip developed for artificial intelligence, shares in the semiconductor manufacturer Nvidia declined by 6.3% in extended trading. Concurrently, shares of competitor AMD also saw a decrease, falling by 7.1% after US markets had closed.

The Trump administration's decision to investigate critical mineral imports, including rare earths essential for products like smartphones and electric vehicles, reignited worries about a potential trade war.

Early in European trading, the U.K.'s FTSE 100 index declined by 0.2%, reaching 8,233.10, following the government's announcement that British inflation had decreased for the second consecutive month in March, primarily due to reduced gas prices.

Germany's DAX index experienced a decline of 0.7%, settling at 21,107.68, while the CAC 40 in Paris relinquished 0.6%, closing at 7,289.67.

Chinese stock markets experienced significant declines, leading the regional downturn, following the government's announcement that the nation's economy, the world's second largest, achieved a robust 5.4% annual growth rate in the final quarter, propelled by strong performance in industrial production, retail sales, and exports. However, on a quarterly basis, growth decelerated to 1.2% in the first quarter from 1.6% in the preceding quarter of 2024.

The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong experienced a 2% decline, settling at 20,922.54, while the Shanghai Composite index managed to recover some losses, inching up by 0.1% to 3,271.19.

Economists in the private sector have been revising their economic projections downwards, following President Donald Trump's recent escalation of tariffs on the majority of imports from China to 145%, alongside China's reciprocal increase in duties on imports from the U.S. to 125%.

According to analysts at ANZ Research, activity in the current quarter is showing signs of weakening.

Raymond Yeung and other researchers from ANZ wrote in a report after China released its data that the negative effect of the tariffs came more from their unpredictability than from the tariffs themselves. They added that President Trump's announcements had a big negative impact on business confidence and activity.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index experienced a 1% decline, settling at 33,920.40, predominantly influenced by prominent technology firms such as Advantest, a manufacturer of chip testing equipment, whose stock decreased by 6.6%, and Disco Corp., which saw an 8% fall.

In South Korea, the Kospi index experienced a decline of 1.2%, closing at 2,447.43, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 saw a marginal decrease of less than 0.1%, finishing at 7,758.90.

India's Sensex remained largely stable, while Bangkok's SET saw a marginal decline of 0.1%.

On Tuesday, the trajectory of U.S. stocks was somewhat directionless, with the S&P 500 experiencing a marginal decline of 0.2% and the Dow shedding 0.4%, while the Nasdaq composite registered a negligible decrease of under 0.1%.

Ambiguity regarding President Donald Trump's tariffs caused investors to remain vigilant for subsequent developments.

Following significant volatility the previous week, the U.S. bond market seemed to stabilise, alleviating concerns about the reliability of U.S. government bonds as a secure investment during uncertain times.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury stayed the same at 4.33%. This was lower than 4.38% late on Monday and 4.48% at the end of last week. A week before, it was only 4.01%. Yields usually go down when investors are worried, so the changes this week have made people feel more confident.

The U.S. dollar's value also stabilised following last week's sharp decline, fuelling concerns that Trump's trade dispute could also be eroding its role as a secure investment.

Palantir Technologies saw its shares increase by 6.2% for the second consecutive day of gains following NATO's announcement that it would integrate the company's artificial intelligence technology into its allied command operations.

In early Wednesday trading, U.S. benchmark crude oil experienced a decline, shedding 69 cents to reach $60.64 per barrel, while Brent crude, the globally recognised standard, saw a decrease of 65 cents, settling at $64.01 per barrel.

Trump's imposition of tariffs has heightened concerns about a potential economic slowdown, which is expected to curb the demand for oil and various other resources.

The U.S. dollar depreciated against the Japanese yen, declining from 143.24 to 142.26 yen, while the euro appreciated against the dollar, rising from $1.1283 to $1.1377.