Asian shares climb as oil retreat lifts tech stocks

Asian equity markets advanced broadly on Friday as investors rode momentum from Wall Street's strongest session in over a month, fueled by retreating oil prices and easing Treasury yields that lifted technology and semiconductor stocks across the region.

The S&P 500 gained 1.1% on Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 316 points, or 0.6%, and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.7%, powered by a rally in chip and tech names. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index surged 3.14%, with Nvidia ↘ 1.47% up 2.54%, AMD Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. ↘ 1.47% jumping 6.36%, and Intel ↘ 1.02% spiking 7.67%.pulse.mk+3

Chipmakers Lead Korea and Japan Higher

South Korea's Kospi surged as much as 2.7%, the day's standout performer in Asia. Samsung Electronics rose over 2.5% in early trading while SK Hynix ↘ 3.12% gained more than 4%, tracking overnight strength in U.S. semiconductor shares. Semiconductor equipment makers also advanced, with Jusung Engineering up nearly 3%.bloomberg+2

Japan's Nikkei 225 climbed 1.4% to finish at 65,018.95, led by AI and chip-related stocks. SoftBank Group jumped 5%, while chip-equipment makers Advantest and Tokyo Electron gained 4% and 3.6%, respectively. The broader Topix slipped, reflecting its lower concentration of technology names.finance.yahoo+1

The Bank of Japan raised its benchmark interest rate to 1.25% from 1.0% — a 31-year high — in a widely expected move approved by a 7-2 vote. The decision came days after the Federal Reserve raised its own benchmark rate by a quarter point on Wednesday, its first hike in more than three years.economictimes+2

Oil Retreat Eases Inflation Fears

A key catalyst for the global rally was a continued slide in crude oil prices. Brent crude fell toward $102 a barrel in Asian trading on Friday, retreating sharply from nearly $110 earlier in the week amid easing concerns that the conflict with Iran would severely disrupt supply. The decline helped pull U.S. Treasury yields lower, with the 10-year yield falling to 4.93% from 5.01%, removing pressure on growth-oriented stocks.finance.yahoo+1

Elsewhere in Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng edged up 0.6%, the Shanghai Composite added 0.9%, and Indonesia's Jakarta Composite Index rose 0.76%. European markets moved in the opposite direction, with the Stoxx 600 falling 0.9% as economically sensitive sectors underperformed.jakartaglobe+2

"The opening backdrop is supportive, but the combination of elevated oil prices and persistent geopolitical risks is likely to keep risk appetite measured," said Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money.ndtvprofit