Asian markets closed mixed on Wednesday, as a rebound in memory and semiconductor shares on optimism over AI-driven demand helped offset concerns over an intense escalation in the US-Iran conflict, inflation and US trade policy. Global investors were tracking developments involving Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement after the group threatened a naval blockade targeting Saudi-linked shipping in the Red Sea. They also looked ahead of a flurry of major US tech earnings reports due this week for additional clues on the trajectory of the AI trade. Japan’s Nikkei declined after data showed Japan’s trade balance shifted to a deficit in June as import growth outpaced exports, while the yen slid past 163 per dollar for the first time since 1986. Seoul shares rose after data showed South Korea's semiconductor exports soared 180% year-on-year in the first 20 days of July, underscoring sustained AI-driven demand.
| Asian Indices | Last Trade | Change in Points | Change in % |
| Shanghai Composite | 3,867.03 | 2.67 | 0.07 |
| Hang Seng | 24,892.66 | -239.63 | -0.95 |
| Jakarta Composite | 6,334.48 | -5.54 | -0.09 |
| KLSE Composite | 1,711.37 | -9.00 | -0.52 |
| Nikkei 225 | 66,115.60 | -116.59 | -0.18 |
| Straits Times | 5,595.42 | 68.70 | 1.24 |
| KOSPI Composite | 6,797.70 | 49.75 | 0.74 |
| Taiwan Weighted | 44,825.78 | 592.91 | 1.34 |
