South Korea Extends Bond Market Stabilization Measures Amid Rising Financial Risks 
Dollar Struggles as Markets Eye Key Central Bank Decisions and Global Rate Outlooks 
Australia’s Labour Market Weakens as November Employment Drops Sharply 
Gold Prices Dip as Markets Absorb Dovish Fed Outlook; Silver Eases After Record High 
Oil Prices Rebound in Asia as Venezuela Sanctions Risks Offset Ukraine Peace Hopes 
Indonesia–U.S. Tariff Talks Near Completion as Both Sides Push for Year-End Deal 
Asian Technology and Chipmaking Stocks Slide as AI Spending Concerns Shake Markets 
Modi and Trump Hold Phone Call as India Seeks Relief From U.S. Tariffs Over Russian Oil Trade 
Asian Stocks Slide as Central Bank Decisions and Key Data Keep Investors Cautious 
Ireland Limits Planned Trade Ban on Israeli Settlements to Goods Only 
Korea Zinc Plans $6.78 Billion U.S. Smelter Investment With Government Partnership 
Japan Business Sentiment Hits Four-Year High, Boosting Expectations of BOJ Rate Hike 
Fed Near Neutral Signals Caution Ahead, Shifting Focus to Fixed Income in 2026 
Wall Street Futures Dip as Broadcom Slides, Tech Weighed Down Despite Dovish Fed Signals 
Fed Rate Cut Signals Balance Between Inflation and Jobs, Says Mary Daly 
Asian equities advanced on Thursday, led by a strong rally in South Korea’s KOSPI, which hit a record high as technology and healthcare stocks drove gains. Trading across the region remained thin due to a week-long holiday in China, while Indian markets were also closed.
The S&P 500 closed at an all-time high overnight on Wall Street, supported by strength in healthcare and technology, and futures ticked up 0.1% in Asian trading. Investors looked past concerns over a potential U.S. government shutdown, focusing instead on AI-driven growth.
South Korea’s KOSPI jumped 3% to a historic 3,565.71 points, with chipmakers SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics fueling the rally. Both companies signed a preliminary agreement with OpenAI to supply advanced memory chips and collaborate on building data centers in South Korea for OpenAI’s massive $500 billion Stargate AI infrastructure project. SK Hynix shares soared 11% to a record high, while Samsung gained 4.5%, reaching a near six-year peak. The two remain the world’s largest memory chip producers, with SK Hynix already supplying NVIDIA with high-bandwidth memory and Samsung recently cleared to provide advanced HBM chips as well.
Elsewhere in Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 1.6% on strong demand for major Chinese internet stocks, Singapore’s Straits Times gained 1.1%, and Japan’s Nikkei 225 edged up 0.3%, though the TOPIX slipped after a prior rally. Australian markets also advanced, with the ASX 200 climbing 1.1% as miners rallied. A Reuters report that the U.S. government may invest directly in Australian critical mineral firms to diversify away from China lifted shares of BHP, Rio Tinto, Lynas Rare Earths, and lithium producers Pilbara Minerals and Liontown Resources.
Despite higher-than-expected South Korean inflation data and a sharp drop in Australia’s trade balance, investor sentiment remained firmly positive, with technology and resource-linked stocks leading the charge across Asia.
