Asian stocks advanced on Thursday as Nvidia’s earnings results quelled fears over massive AI spending and AI-driven disruptions.
The AI bellwether posted record fourth quarter results with total revenue of $68 billion, led by a record data-center quarter of $62 billion.
The dollar edged lower in Asian trading, while gold advanced on safe-haven demand and oil prices hovered near seven-month highs as investors waited for any news on the third round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran.
China’s Shanghai Composite Index finished marginally lower at 4,146.63 due to persistent uncertainty over U.S. trade policy. Traders also looked ahead to the release of February PMI data due next week for direction.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index slumped 1.4 percent to 26,381.02. Trip.com shares tumbled 3.2 percent after the travel operator reported a sharp fall in its Q4 operating margins.
Japanese markets gave up some early gains as the yen rebounded on BoJ rate hike bets following remarks by board member Hajime Takata.
The Nikkei 225 Index hit a new record high at 59,332.43 before paring gains to close up 0.3 percent at 58,753.39. The broader Topix Index settled 1 percent higher at 3,880.34.
Tech stocks ended mixed despite Nvidia delivering bumper earnings and issuing an upbeat outlook for the current quarter. SoftBank shares surged 4 percent, while Advantest dropped 1.7 percent and Tokyo Electron lost 2 percent.
Seoul stocks hit another record high as chip stocks rallied on Nvidia’s guidance, and the Bank of Korea lifted its growth forecast after holding rates steady, as widely expected.
The Kospi soared 3.7 percent to 6,307.27. Chip and auto stocks led the surge, with Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Hyundai Motor and Kia Corp. spiking 5-8 percent.
Australian markets eked out modest gains to reach a new record, with mining, healthcare and technology stocks pacing the gainers.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index rose 0.5 percent to 9,175.30, while the broader All Ordinaries Index closed up 0.5 percent at 9,408.70. Heavyweight BHP jumped 2.2 percent and Rio Tinto surged 3.7 percent on firmer copper prices.
Across the Tasman, New Zealand’s benchmark S&P/NZX-50 Index rallied 1.1 percent to 13,670.71, finishing at a five-week high.
U.S. stocks ended higher overnight, building on the gains from the previous session after Anthropic launched new AI tools, positioning its products as additive, rather than threatening, to existing software providers.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.3 percent, the S&P 500 climbed 0.8 percent and the Dow rose 0.6 percent.
Business News
Asian Shares Advance As Nvidia Earnings Beat Expectations
2026-02-26 08:37:28
