Asian benchmarks mostly rise after tech stocks lead rally on Wall Street

Asian markets began the week with a mostly positive trend, buoyed by the rally on Wall Street, which was largely driven by strong performance from big technology stocks. The first annual payment for a one-year subscription was set at $205.00 plus GST. This subscription would automatically renew at $233.00 plus GST every 52 weeks, amounting to a 10% discount off the regular annual price of $259.35. The offer was available to both new and returning subscribers, with the option to cancel at any time.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index gained 0.6%, closing at 64,622.33, while South Korea's Kospi increased by 0.9% to 6,635.67. The S&P/ASX 200 in Australia remained flat, dipping slightly under 0.1% to 9,011.80. Hong Kong's Hang Seng jumped 2.1%, reaching 25,751.26, and the Shanghai Composite rose 0.8% to 3,973.27.

On Wall Street, stocks closed higher on Thursday as bond yields eased and technology companies rallied. The S&P 500 rose 1.1%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.2%, and the Nasdaq composite closed 1.4% higher. Communication services stocks played a significant role in the market rally, given their large valuations and influence on broader market movements.

Microsoft, Apple, and Meta all saw gains of 2.7%, 1%, and 3%, respectively. Nvidia, a major player in the chipmaking industry and a key supplier of artificial intelligence technology, saw its stock price rise 1.8% after announcing its acquisition of AI platform Hugging Face for $13 billion.

In energy markets, U.S. crude oil prices edged up by 65 cents to $91.95 per barrel, while Brent crude gained 47 cents to $95.99 per barrel. The ongoing conflict between the U.S. and Iran has contributed to the recent surge in energy prices, as many nations, including Japan which relies heavily on imported oil, depend on access to the Strait of Hormuz for Middle Eastern oil imports. Iran fired at Kuwait in response to recent U.S. airstrikes, adding to the geopolitical tensions.

Treasury yields, which impact mortgage rates, dropped to 4.77% from 4.79% earlier in the week. The Federal Reserve governor Christopher Waller's remarks suggested that the Fed might be less likely to raise interest rates at its next meeting, as data showing cooling inflation could lead to a rate hold. Waller stated that he would be inclined to keep the Fed's benchmark interest rate unchanged if new data indicated a slowdown in inflation, while a hotter inflation environment could prompt a rate hike.

Investors are also closely monitoring potential actions by Japan's central bank in the coming weeks, with some analysts expecting a possible rate increase.