Stock Market Impact: Wall Street’s S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed at all‑time highs, driving Asian tech‑heavy indices higher; Nikkei 225 reached 66,428.81 (+2.2%) and South Korea’s KOSPI hit 8,457.9 (+5%), both record levels.
Listed Companies and Sectors: SK Hynix (KS:000660) surged ~14%, pushing its market capitalisation above $1 trillion; Samsung Electronics rose up to 8% after union‑approved wage and bonus agreement; Micron Technology rallied sharply on Wall Street after a bullish brokerage upgrade, reinforcing semiconductor sector strength.
Investment Flows: The US tech rally and AI‑driven chipmaker optimism may attract foreign portfolio inflows into Asian semiconductor equities; however, uncertainty over a potential US‑Iran peace agreement kept broader sentiment cautious.
Interest Rates, Inflation, and Liquidity: Australia’s underlying CPI rose to 3.4% YoY in April, supporting expectations of prolonged elevated RBA rates; New Zealand’s RBNZ left the official cash rate unchanged at 2.25% but signalled earlier and larger future hikes, warning inflation could peak at 4.3% due to Middle‑East fuel price pressures.
Fiscal or Monetary Policy: No direct fiscal measures reported; monetary policy cues from RBNZ and Australian CPI suggest tighter liquidity environments in the region.
Commodity and Geopolitical Context: Brent crude hovered near $99 per barrel, volatile amid supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz; renewed US strikes on Iranian targets could derail peace negotiations, adding risk to market sentiment.
