Market Overview

Asian equity markets rallied on Thursday, 25 June 2026, after Micron Technology Inc (NASDAQ:MU) reported stronger‑than‑expected earnings and projected robust demand for AI‑related memory chips. The upbeat outlook revived confidence in the artificial‑intelligence trade, prompting a broad rebound in semiconductor‑heavy indices.

Index Performance

  • South Korea’s KOSPI surged 5.2%, adding 442 points, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 climbed 4.0%, roughly 2,800 points.
  • Regional indices also rose: Australia’s ASX 200 slipped 0.3%, Indonesia’s Jakarta Composite +0.7%, Thailand’s SET +0.5%, and India’s Nifty 50 opened +0.6%.
  • U.S. futures mirrored the optimism, with S&P 500 Futures up 0.5% and Nasdaq 100 Futures up 1.8% in Asian trade.

Semiconductor Leaders

  • In South Korea, memory‑chip makers led the rally: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (KS:005930) gained 5.4% and SK Hynix Inc (KS:000660) jumped 10.9%.
  • Japan’s semiconductor peers posted strong gains: Advantest Corp. (TYO:6857) rose 12.8%, Tokyo Electron Ltd. (TYO:8035) up 8.2%, and Kioxia Holdings Corp (TYO:285A) increased 8%.
  • Hong Kong‑listed chip stocks also followed the trend, with Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (HK:0981) up 1.5% and Hua Hong Semiconductor Ltd (HK:1347) up 2.3%; Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co edged 0.6% higher according to Google data.
  • The semiconductor rally helped reverse part of the roughly $1.3 trillion rout in global technology stocks that occurred earlier in the week.

Chinese Market Activity

  • China’s CSI 300 index rose 1.2% and the Shanghai Composite gained 0.3% as Beijing began marketing up to €5 billion (approximately $5.7 billion) of sovereign bonds, potentially the largest euro‑denominated debt sale in the country’s history.
  • Additional measures to improve monetary‑policy operations were announced, supporting market sentiment.
  • Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell 1.0%, weighed down by profit‑taking in technology stocks, despite the regional semiconductor uplift.

Australian Economic Data

  • The ASX 200 slipped 0.3% even as Australian statistics showed the economy added 40,300 jobs in May and the unemployment rate unexpectedly eased to 4.4%, reinforcing views of a resilient labour market after recent Reserve Bank of Australia policy tightening.

Other Notable Themes

  • Investors kept an eye on upcoming U.S. Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) inflation data, the Federal Reserve’s preferred gauge, for clues on future interest‑rate moves.
  • Market participants also monitored developments in U.S.–Iran negotiations, assessing whether the interim cease‑fire could be extended despite ongoing disputes over nuclear inspections and regional security.

Reporting

The article was reported by Roushni Nair for Reuters via Investing.com.