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SYDNEY/SEOUL (Reuters) -Shares of a small Japanese technology firm shot up nearly 60% on its first day of trade on Wednesday, while Seoul's largest initial public offering (IPO) in three years tanked almost 10% as volatility driven by geopolitics again gripped Asia's equity markets. South Korea's LG CNS shares dropped from opening bell and traded in negative territory for the session, failing to arrest the recent trend of weak debuts for the Seoul market. Shares of Next Generation Technology - the first IPO debut of 2025 in Tokyo - traded 58% higher before paring some gains across the day.

Coinbase has urged U.S. regulators to clarify guidelines allowing banks to offer cryptocurrency services.

British investors yanked a net 640 million pounds ($799 million) from equity funds in January, ending a long run of inflows, as UK-focused funds suffered their sixth-biggest monthly net withdrawals on record, funds network Calastone said on Wednesday. After a wave of bullish sentiment in late 2024 when investors poured money into equity, bond and mixed asset funds, Calastone said UK investors started 2025 "in a more pessimistic mood." UK-focused funds lost 1.07 billion pounds of cash, despite British shares hitting record highs, Calastone said.

According to CoinMarketCap data, Bitcoin’s market dominance has climbed to 60.6% as altcoins struggle, marking a rise from its December low of 51%.

Bitcoin’s price dropped below $100,000 on Feb. 4, with fears of a global trade war leading to increased volatility.

The Trump administration is pushing ahead with plans to regulate digital assets, with White House crypto czar David Sacks at the forefront.

Zillow’s 2025 forecast of the hottest markets in the U.S. found that while housing prices in these markets remain affordable, supply is tight, making for stiff competition.