Asian markets settled higher on Thursday following the drop in Brent crude to trade below the $100 a barrel mark after US President Donald Trump indicated a possible peace deal between United States and Iran. Meanwhile, overnight gains on Wall Street, where the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite reached fresh record highs driven by strong corporate performance in the technology sector further supported market sentiments. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index surged to new all-time high driven by a post-holiday catch-up with the global AI and technology rallies. Kospi closed at a new record peak driven by robust AI chip demand after South Korea’s first-quarter exports hit a record high, with chip shipments soaring 139% year-on-year. South Korea’s stock market has officially surpassed Canada to become the world’s seventh-largest, with the total market capitalization of Korean-listed companies soaring to $4.59 trillion.
| Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
| Shanghai Composite | 4,180.09 | 19.92 | 0.48 |
| Hang Seng | 26,626.28 | 412.50 | 1.57 |
| Jakarta Composite | 7,174.32 | 81.85 | 1.14 |
| KLSE Composite | 1,758.85 | 1.98 | 0.11 |
| Nikkei 225 | 62,833.84 | 3,320.72 | 5.58 |
| Straits Times | 4,941.96 | 14.58 | 0.30 |
| KOSPI Composite | 7,490.05 | 105.49 | 1.43 |
| Taiwan Weighted | 41,933.78 | 794.93 | 1.93 |
