Asian Shares

Asian shares climbed sharply on Friday, tracking big Wall Street gains, and oil prices slipped after US President Donald Trump claimed there was a breakthrough in talks to end the Iran war. US futures edged higher. South Korea's Kospi jumped 7.8 per cent to 8,370.82, narrowing losses from earlier this month from sell-offs of shares related to artificial intelligence. The Kospi has roughly doubled over the past six months, with a record closing high of 8.801.49 on June 2. Samsung Electronics, South Korea's most valuable company, advanced 11.2 per cent. Computer chipmaker SK Hynix rose 7.2 per cent. Tokyo's Nikkei's 225 gained 3.5 per cent to 66,442.95, also led by gains for technology stocks. SoftBank Group, a multinational investment holding company with a strong AI focus, was up 2 per cent. Chip equipment maker Tokyo Electron jumped 10.3 per cent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 1.8 per cent to 24,689.32 and the Shanghai Composite index rose 1.6 per cent to 4,050.51. In Australia,

Investors across Asia are turning to space-related stocks, sector ETFs and Nasdaq 100 funds to gain indirect exposure to potential gains from the SpaceX IPO

Shares are mostly lower in Asia following another sell-off of artificial-intelligence stocks that dragged the US market sharply lower. US futures advanced and oil prices gained more than USD 1 a barrel. Tokyo's Nikkei lost 0.5 per cent to 63,878.60, while the Kospi in South Korea was also down 0.2 per cent, at 7,720.75. Hong Kong's Hang Seng edged 0.2 per cent higher, to 24,468.82, but the Shanghai Composite index fell 0.2 per cent to 3,983.80. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 likewise shed 0.2 per cent to 8,632.50. Taiwan's Taiex slipped 0.4 per cent. On Wednesday, Wall Street's former superstars continue to face heavy scrutiny. The S&P 500 dropped 1.6 per cent for its first back-to-back drop in three weeks. Closing at 7,266.99, it's back to where it was in early May. The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 953 points, or 1.9 per cent, to 49,918.78. The Nasdaq composite led the market lower with a 2 per cent slide, to 25,169.50. Wall Street has been shaky since last week, when

Oil prices climbed about 1 per cent in early trade, moving away from a seven-week low touched in the previous session in the wake of the fresh US attacks

Japan's Nikkei inched up 0.3 per cent, after losing 3.9 per cent the previous session, while MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.9 per cent

The Nasdaq had dropped 4.2 per cent on Friday after a hot jobs report ramped up expectations for Federal Reserve interest rate hikes

An AI-driven rally that boosted stocks earlier in the week fizzled out as chipmaker Broadcom reported underwhelming results

Asian shares retreated on Thursday following declines on Wall Street that snapped a nine-day winning streak for the S&P 500. Oil prices fell back after surging Wednesday as renewed fighting threatened the US-Iran ceasefire. Early Thursday in Asia, Brent crude was USD 1.17 lower at USD 96.64 per barrel, while benchmark US crude oil shed USD 1.08 to USD 94.94 per barrel. Oil prices had climbed a day earlier after both the United States and Iran said they launched retaliations for earlier attacks or attempted ones. In share trading, Japan's Nikkei 225 shed 1.9% to 67,101.83 as traders sold technology stocks to lock in gains. Energy and technology giant SoftBank Group slumped 10.4%, while Shin-Etsu Chemical dropped 3.8%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 1.3% to 25,299.29, and the Shanghai Composite index fell 0.4% to 4,067.46. In South Korea, the Kospi sank 1.7% to 8,651.87, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 declined 1.5% to 8,657.40. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 fell 0.7% from its ...

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan ​fell 0.6 per cent, having fluctuated between gains and losses as trading commenced

Asian share markets remain underpinned by demand for semiconductors and AI-related gear, with Japan's Nikkei up a further 0.5 per cent, having risen almost 5 per cent last week to all-time highs

The listings of SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic may mean a total of $70 billion in AI spending on top of the more than $750 billion already committed by the biggest hyperscalers

It also took a little steam out of the tech-driven bull run in stock markets, with Japan's Nikkei easing 0.2 per cent, while South ‌Korean shares went flat

Brent crude ​traded near $100 per barrel, and the greenback held gains from the previous ​session after Iran said the US had violated a ceasefire

Shares were mixed Tuesday in Asia after the US military said it carried out what it called "self-defence" strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats placing mines. The attacks came even as President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations on ending the war were "proceeding nicely." US futures jumped. Oil prices were mixed, with Brent crude trading below USD 95 a barrel. The US military said the strikes Monday were done "to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces." It said it used restraint due to the ceasefire with Iran, which gave no official response. Further details were not immediately available, including more specifics on threats from Iran and what this means for negotiations. With the status of peace talks with Iran unclear, markets have been swayed by various developments and comments by Trump. "Markets are behaving as though a full Iran breakthrough already exists, even though the hardest parts of the negotiation rema

Asian shares mostly rose Monday and oil prices plunged after US President Donald Trump said talks on ending the war with Iran are progressing. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 surged 3.1 per cent in morning trading to 65,321.56. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.4 per cent to 8,692.70. The Shanghai Composite edged up 0.4 per cent to 4,127.53. Trading was closed in South Korea and Hong Kong for holidays marking Buddha's birthday. Trading will be closed in the US on Monday for Memorial Day. Trump said negotiations with Iran were "proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner." Meanwhile, regional officials told The Associated Press on Sunday that the United States is close to reaching a deal with Iran that would end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and see Iran give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, Reopening the Strait of Hormuz will help decide the direction of oil prices. The closure has prevented oil tankers from exiting the Persian Gulf and delivering crude to ...

Asian shares advanced Friday following modest gains on Wall Street, while oil prices rose as efforts to end the Iran war yielded limited results. Oil prices had eased Thursday in US trading, alleviating pressure from the bond market as yields fell. Earlier this week yields climbed so high they threatened to slow economies worldwide and undercut prices for stocks, bitcoin and all kinds of other investments. US futures edged higher and Tokyo's Nikkei 225 was up 2.7% at 63,352.44. A report showed inflation hitting a four-year low in April, at 1.4%, despite higher prices for oil and gas due to the war. South Korea's Kospi gained 0.6% to 7,860.59. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 1.2% to 25,685.65, while the Shanghai Composite index climbed 0.5% to 4,096.24. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.5% at 8,664.00. Taiwan's Taiex was trading 1.5% higher, while India's Sensex edged up 0.2%. Oil prices remained elevated over disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for oil and gas

Shares rallied Thursday across Asia, tracking gains on Wall Street after pressure from the bond market eased and oil prices fell back. The advance was also powered by a stronger-than-expected quarterly report from chipmaker Nvidia, whose profit rocketed more than 200% higher in the February-April quarter from a year earlier, while revenue jumped 85%. Nvidia has been one of the biggest beneficiaries from the boom in artificial intelligence, thanks to powerful demand for its high-end AI chips. Its shares rose 1.3% on Wednesday before its earnings report was released, but they fell 1.3% in afterhours trading after the announcement. South Korea's Kospi soared 8% to 7,787.74, helped by strong buying of technology shares such as Samsung Electronics, which gained 7.5% after its labour union and management reached an agreement late Wednesday that averted a strike. Shares in SK Hynix, a computer chipmaker partnering with Nvidia, surged 11.3%. The Kospi has been breaching records, recently .

Japan's Nikkei 225 lost 0.6% in morning, erasing initial gains after the government reported that the economy grew for the 2nd straight quarter in Jan-Mar due to better than expected consumer spending

Japan's Nikkei eased 0.4 per cent, having fallen 2 per cent last week, though that was from record highs

Japan's Nikkei also dropped 1.2 per cent as data showed the country's wholesale inflation accelerated to 4.9 per cent in April, the fastest pace in three years