Asia-Pacific Stocks Rise as AI Boom Fuels Market Rebound; Japan and Hong Kong Lead Gains

Asia-Pacific markets advanced on Thursday, echoing Wall Street’s strong performance as artificial intelligence (AI)-linked stocks bounced back following solid earnings from U.S. chipmaker AMD. Investors regained confidence in the sector after recent volatility driven by valuation concerns eased.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 climbed 1.34% to close at 50,883.68, marking another milestone for Asia’s largest advanced economy. The broader Topix index rose 1.38% to 3,313.45, led by gains in tech and semiconductor companies. Advantest, a key supplier to Nvidia, gained 3.15%, Renesas Electronics advanced over 3%, and chip equipment maker Disco Corp surged more than 6%, reflecting renewed optimism in Japan’s AI supply chain.

In South Korea, the Kospi index rose 0.55% to finish at 4,026.45, buoyed by a 2.42% jump in SK Hynix shares, another major Nvidia supplier. However, smaller tech stocks dragged the Kosdaq down 0.41% to 898.17. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 also gained 0.3% to close at 8,828.3, extending its weekly rally amid broader regional momentum.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index led regional gains, jumping 2.12% to 26,485.9, while the mainland’s CSI 300 added 1.43% to 4,693.4. The rally came even as newly listed Chinese autonomous vehicle firms WeRide and Pony.ai stumbled on their Hong Kong debut—dropping over 12% and 8% respectively—despite raising HK$9.1 billion ($1.17 billion) combined in fresh capital.

Meanwhile, India’s benchmark Nifty 50 slipped 0.1% and the BSE Sensex ended flat, showing mixed sentiment in South Asia. In U.S. trading overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.48%, the S&P 500 gained 0.37%, and the Nasdaq advanced 0.65% as investors digested the U.S. Supreme Court’s skepticism toward former President Donald Trump’s tariffs and welcomed signs of AI market recovery.

source: cnbc