A rally on all three main bourses on Wall Street provided a healthy lead for Asia, which has also enjoyed a lift from the Supreme Court’s tariff announcement.
Seoul’s Kospi jumped past 6,000 points for the first time, led once again by chip titans Samsung and SK hynix. The index has surged more than 40 per cent this year, having rallied 76 per cent in 2025.
Tokyo piled on more than 1 per cent to also hit a new peak, with tech firms Advantest and Tokyo Electron among the best performers.
Taipei’s 2 per cent gains were supported by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.
Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Mumbai and Bangkok were also higher, though Singapore, Wellington and Jakarta slipped.
The yen was steady against the dollar after sinking on Tuesday on media reports that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi last week told Bank of Japan boss Kazuo Ueda of her concern about hiking interest rates further.
The Mainichi newspaper said she had taken a “tougher stance” than in their November meeting.
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