Asian Stocks Soar on Hopes for Mideast Deal and Strong Earnings
Asian stocks surged on Wednesday as hopes for a Mideast deal and strong corporate earnings reports lifted investor sentiment. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) jumped 3.8% to 6,598.26, with memory chipmaker SK Hynix leading the way at 7.4%. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index gained 3.7% to 66,300.44.
Oil prices eased as the Brent crude benchmark fell 0.5% to $78.99 per barrel. The decline in oil prices has buoyed shares, with many analysts attributing the market's rally to hopes for a deal that could lead to an end to the war in Iran.
'Clearly today the market is rallying on the back of AI stocks,' said Neil Newman, head of strategy for Astris Advisory Japan. 'You look across the other sectors, there’s a bit of activity here and there but really the focus has been back on semiconductors, technology and AI.'