Asian equities fell on Friday as investors locked in gains from this year’s technology rally and shifted into more defensive positions ahead of the weekend, with Middle East tensions and stalled US-Iran talks adding to the cautious tone. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 1.6% in early trading. The selloff was sharpest in South Korea, where the Kospi slid more than 6% as investors reassessed the artificial intelligence trade after Broadcom’s latest outlook failed to