Asian markets settled mostly higher on Thursday, led by gains in technology stocks in Japan and South Korea. Robust earnings reports and bullish forecasts from chip giants Micron Technology and Qualcomm helped alleviate investor concerns regarding stretched AI valuations. Meanwhile, Brent crude futures dropped below $73 a barrel, falling to their lowest levels since the US-Iran war started as tanker movement through the Strait of Hormuz picked up, which eased energy supply concerns and supported risk appetite across regional markets. Despite the sharp regional tech rebound, international investors kept a cautious eye on the US Federal Reserve’s preferred May PCE inflation gauge data due later in the day.
| Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
| Shanghai Composite | 4,120.28 | 9.47 | 0.23 |
| Hang Seng | 23,076.91 | -335.27 | -1.43 |
| Jakarta Composite | 5,999.04 | 115.16 | 1.92 |
| KLSE Composite | 1,663.82 | -18.31 | -1.09 |
| Nikkei 225 | 72,366.34 | 3,191.37 | 4.61 |
| Straits Times | 5,218.96 | 2.97 | 0.06 |
| KOSPI Composite | 8,930.30 | 459.28 | 5.42 |
| Taiwan Weighted | 46,255.26 | 211.66 | 0.46 |
