Stock Market Impact: Japanese Nikkei 225 climbed to a record 66,428.81 points (+2.2%) and South Korea KOSPI surged 5% to a fresh high of 8,457.9, driven by a Wall Street technology rally; U.S. S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed at all‑time highs, reinforcing positive sentiment.
Listed Companies and Sectors: SK Hynix (KS:000660) jumped nearly 14%, pushing its market capitalisation above $1 trillion and joining Samsung Electronics (KS:005930) and Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) in the trillion‑dollar club; Samsung rose up to 8% after unionised workers approved a wage and bonus agreement, averting a strike; Micron rallied sharply on Wall Street after a bullish brokerage upgrade, highlighting AI‑driven chip demand.
Investment Flows: The tech‑driven rally attracted foreign portfolio inflows into semiconductor equities across Japan and South Korea, while broader investor sentiment remained cautious due to lingering geopolitical uncertainty.
Interest Rates, Inflation, and Liquidity: Australia’s underlying CPI rose to 3.4% YoY in April, up from 3.3% in March, supporting expectations that the Reserve Bank of Australia may keep rates elevated; the Reserve Bank of New Zealand kept its official cash rate unchanged at 2.25% but signalled likely earlier and larger future hikes as inflation could peak at 4.3% later this year.
Fiscal or Monetary Policy: No new fiscal measures were announced; monetary policy focus remained on managing inflation pressures from higher energy costs linked to the Middle‑East conflict.
