Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 recouped early losses to rise 0.3% in morning trading to 23,310.94. South Korea’s Kospi dropped 0.8% to 2,377.92, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.8% to 5,860.50. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.3% to 24,394.06, while the Shanghai Composite slipped 0.2% to 3,228.01.

Shares were lower in Taiwan and Southeast Asia.

Analysts say investors are preoccupied with the coronavirus pandemic and hopes for development of a safe, effective vaccine.

While Big Tech is benefiting from the shift to online life that the pandemic and ensuing stay-at-home economy has accelerated, critics said their stocks prices have surged too high.

“Big tech stocks might have seemed like safe havens, but they have found themselves at the center of a brutal sell-off,” said Stephen Innes, chief global market strategist at AxiCorp.

The catch is that progress in curbing COVID-19 could hurt technology shares, Innes said.

“But keep your eye on the prize. A virus vaccine is a key to the second leg of growth recovery, which will be globally-coordinated and could run for a while as doses are distributed gradually,” he said.