Asian stocks today, July 8 -- Asian markets opened in negative territory on Wednesday, 8 July, as rising tensions in the Middle East dampened investor sentiment.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 0.55%, while the broader Topix index declined 0.7%. South Korea's Kospi lost 0.72%, with the small-cap Kosdaq falling a sharper 1.94%. Meanwhile, Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 dropped 1.36% in early trade.

Technology stocks led the decline across Asian markets, with Samsung Electronics dropping over 6% despite reporting a 19-fold jump in quarterly profit. The sharp fall dragged South Korea's Kospi index down 4.3%. Chipmakers remained under pressure as SK Hynix shares slipped 4.2% after the company formally launched the marketing process ...