International
Tech Bulls Shrug Off Geopolitics on Asian Stock Markets
Asian stock markets largely gained on Tuesday as traders shrugged off geopolitics and rallied around AI and tech shares.Hong Kong and Shanghai finished in the green, although Tokyo lagged. Other regional exchanges were mixed on the upside, with fresh all-time zeniths set on equity indices in Seoul and Taiwan.In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened lower and could not recover, finishing off 0.3% as traders booked profits from recent record-shattering rallies.The benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 200.09 to 66,734.24, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 144 to 77.Leading the upside was glassmaker AGC, up 9.1%, while Nippon Electric Glass declined 10%.In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened evenly and rose to the close, concluding up 2.5% on AI-sector optimism.The broad gauge Hang Seng rose 640.14 to 26,038.32, as gaining issues outnumbered losers 60 to 30. The Hang Seng TECH Index gained 4.7% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index rose 0.7%.Leading the upside was WeChat operator Tencent, gaining 10.5% on reports it is testing an AI agent for its social-media platform. Laopu Gold declined 3%.On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite rose 0.4% to 4,075.10.On the other regional exchanges, the S. Korean KOSPI rose 0.2%; the Taiwan TWSE inclined 0.5%; the Australian ASX 200 declined 0.1%; the Singapore Straits Times Index rose 1.2%, and the Thai Set inclined 1.3%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was up 0.5%.The MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index rose 0.6% on the day.
Hang SengNikkei 225Shanghai Composite