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Most Asian stock markets surged on Friday, driven by a rebound in technology shares after recent volatility sparked by concerns over the artificial intelligence trade. Investor sentiment improved following positive cues from Wall Street and a more dovish outlook from the U.S. Federal Reserve, helping regional equities recover from earlier losses tied to U.S. cloud giant Oracle and broader AI-related uncertainty.
Markets across Asia tracked gains in U.S. equities, where expectations of easier monetary policy boosted risk appetite. Earlier this week, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates and announced plans to restart asset purchases, including buying $40 billion in U.S. Treasuries per month. This move significantly improved global liquidity expectations, supporting equities worldwide. Although Wall Street ended Thursday on a mixed note due to weakness in some technology stocks, the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average still closed at record highs.
Technology stocks led gains in Japan and South Korea. Japan’s Nikkei 225 advanced about 1.1%, while the broader TOPIX index jumped 1.5%. South Korea’s KOSPI surged roughly 1.3%, supported by strength in semiconductors and industrial stocks. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index also climbed around 1%, as bargain buying emerged after recent declines in major tech names. Investors remain optimistic that long-term demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure will continue to benefit the sector despite short-term volatility.
Other regional markets followed suit, with Australia’s ASX 200 rising more than 1% and Singapore’s Straits Times index posting solid gains. Futures for India’s Nifty 50 were flat, as traders focused on ongoing trade discussions between India and the United States.
In contrast, Chinese equities underperformed. The Shanghai Composite and CSI 300 indexes slipped between 0.3% and 0.5%, weighed down by sharp losses in domestic chipmakers. Concerns grew after NVIDIA received approval to sell more advanced AI chips in China, intensifying competition for local semiconductor firms. Shares of Hua Hong Semiconductor dropped sharply, while Moore Threads, seen as a potential Chinese rival to Nvidia, plunged as much as 13% following profit-taking after its recent strong debut.
Beyond technology, lingering worries about China’s economic outlook, soft inflation data, and ongoing geopolitical tensions in the region continued to pressure mainland markets, limiting broader gains despite the regional rally.
