China's regulator 'halts' new stock listings as Asian markets keep sliding on AI fears ahead of US midterms

China's securities regulator has paused new stock listings and temporarily suspended large shareholder sales, in a bid to stabilise markets after the CSI 300 index suffered its worst monthly performance in over a decade. The move follows an 8.5 per cent plunge in October, taking the index's annual losses to 15 per cent, with Hong Kong's Hang Seng down 10.6 per cent and the Shanghai Composite off 10.3 per cent since January.

AI-linked stocks have led the rout — Unitree Robotics is down over 26 per cent, MetaX 31.4 per cent, and Eoptolink 43.1 per cent since listing.