Share and Follow
TOKYO – Asian markets witnessed a remarkable surge on Tuesday, with South Korea’s benchmark index making a striking 5% leap and Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index rallying by 3%. This uptick was primarily driven by investors who eagerly snapped up tech-related stocks.
Investors are keenly anticipating earnings reports from leading companies, which will provide insights into how ongoing economic trends, such as the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump and China’s potential restrictions on rare earth exports, are affecting the market.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 experienced a significant boost, climbing 3.2% to settle at 54,346.33. Notable gains included a 6% rise in shares of Disco Corp., a company specializing in equipment manufacturing, and a 5.6% increase for Advantest, known for its testing equipment.
Meanwhile, in South Korea, the Kospi rebounded impressively with a 5% gain, reaching 5,197.86. This recovery followed Monday’s downturn, which led to temporary trading suspensions due to fears of an artificial intelligence bubble. However, investor confidence bounced back, as evidenced by a 6.9% surge in Samsung Electronics Co. shares and a 7.5% rise in SK Hynix, a prominent chip maker.
Across the region, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index remained relatively stable, closing at 26,786.47, while the Shanghai Composite saw a modest increase of 0.4%, ending at 4,031.07.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 edged up 1.2% to 8,880.20 ahead of an interest rate decision by the central bank.
Investors are awaiting more earnings reports from major companies to gauge the impact of various trends including U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and possible curbs on rare earths exports from China.
On Monday, U.S. share prices rose while gold and silver prices sank further following their latest wild moves. The S&P 500 added 0.5% to 6,976.44, snapping a three-day losing streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.1% to 49,407.66, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.6% to 23,592.11.
Sandisk leaped 15.4% to lead the S&P 500. The data-storage company added to its 6.9% gain from Friday, after it reported stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It credited demand created by the artificial-intelligence boom, among other things. That helped offset a 2.9% drop for Nvidia, whose chips are powering much of the world’s move into AI technology.
The Walt Disney Co. fell 7.4% even though the entertainment giant reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It warned of challenges, such as international visitors declining at its U.S. theme parks.
Shares in software company Palantir Technologies soared 7% in after-hours trading after it reported its revenue in the last quarter climbed 70%.
The center of action in financial markets was again precious metals, where prices have yoyoed after stellar gains. Gold’s price have roughly doubled in just 12 months.
Gold gained 3.4% on Tuesday, while silver’s price rebounded by 7.5%.
Gold and silver prices have surged as investors search for safer things to own at a time of uncertainty over the status of the Federal Reserve, which may be set to become less independent, a U.S. stock market that critics say is expensive, threats of tariffs and heavy debt loads for governments worldwide.
Their prices cratered on Friday, including a 31.4% plunge for silver. Some on Wall Street saw it as a result of President Donald Trump’s nomination of Kevin Warsh as the next chair of the Fed.
The Fed’s chair has a big influence on the economy and markets worldwide by helping to dictate where the U.S. central bank moves interest rates. That affects prices for all kinds of investments, as the Fed tries to keep the U.S. job market humming without letting inflation get out of control.
In other dealings early Tuesday, benchmark U.S. crude fell 14 cents to $62.00 a barrel. Brent crude shed 22 cents to $66.08 a barrel.
The U.S. dollar declined to 155.42 Japanese yen from 155.61 yen. The euro cost $1.1812, up from $1.1791.
___
AP Business Writer Stan Choe contributed.
Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.