Asian Stocks Slip as Tech Rout Deepens, Japan Steadies Ahead of Election 
South Korea’s Weak Won Struggles as Retail Investors Pour Money Into U.S. Stocks 
Asian Markets Slip as AI Spending Fears Shake Tech, Wall Street Futures Rebound 
Oil Prices Slip as U.S.–Iran Talks Ease Supply Disruption Fears 
Gold and Silver Prices Rebound After Volatile Week Triggered by Fed Nomination 
Trump Endorses Japan’s Sanae Takaichi Ahead of Crucial Election Amid Market and China Tensions 
Oil Prices Slide on US-Iran Talks, Dollar Strength and Profit-Taking Pressure 
Australia’s December Trade Surplus Expands but Falls Short of Expectations 
Trump Signs Executive Order Threatening 25% Tariffs on Countries Trading With Iran 
Dollar Steadies Ahead of ECB and BoE Decisions as Markets Turn Risk-Off 
Dow Hits 50,000 as U.S. Stocks Stage Strong Rebound Amid AI Volatility 
Bank of Japan Signals Readiness for Near-Term Rate Hike as Inflation Nears Target 
Vietnam’s Trade Surplus With US Jumps as Exports Surge and China Imports Hit Record 
Dollar Near Two-Week High as Stock Rout, AI Concerns and Global Events Drive Market Volatility 
Thailand Inflation Remains Negative for 10th Straight Month in January 
Global Markets Slide as AI, Crypto, and Precious Metals Face Heightened Volatility 
Trump Lifts 25% Tariff on Indian Goods in Strategic U.S.–India Trade and Energy Deal 
Asian equities advanced on Thursday, led by a strong rally in South Korea’s KOSPI, which hit a record high as technology and healthcare stocks drove gains. Trading across the region remained thin due to a week-long holiday in China, while Indian markets were also closed.
The S&P 500 closed at an all-time high overnight on Wall Street, supported by strength in healthcare and technology, and futures ticked up 0.1% in Asian trading. Investors looked past concerns over a potential U.S. government shutdown, focusing instead on AI-driven growth.
South Korea’s KOSPI jumped 3% to a historic 3,565.71 points, with chipmakers SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics fueling the rally. Both companies signed a preliminary agreement with OpenAI to supply advanced memory chips and collaborate on building data centers in South Korea for OpenAI’s massive $500 billion Stargate AI infrastructure project. SK Hynix shares soared 11% to a record high, while Samsung gained 4.5%, reaching a near six-year peak. The two remain the world’s largest memory chip producers, with SK Hynix already supplying NVIDIA with high-bandwidth memory and Samsung recently cleared to provide advanced HBM chips as well.
Elsewhere in Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 1.6% on strong demand for major Chinese internet stocks, Singapore’s Straits Times gained 1.1%, and Japan’s Nikkei 225 edged up 0.3%, though the TOPIX slipped after a prior rally. Australian markets also advanced, with the ASX 200 climbing 1.1% as miners rallied. A Reuters report that the U.S. government may invest directly in Australian critical mineral firms to diversify away from China lifted shares of BHP, Rio Tinto, Lynas Rare Earths, and lithium producers Pilbara Minerals and Liontown Resources.
Despite higher-than-expected South Korean inflation data and a sharp drop in Australia’s trade balance, investor sentiment remained firmly positive, with technology and resource-linked stocks leading the charge across Asia.
