Asian stocks rallied on Friday, with chip and AI firms leading the surge on the eve of SK Hynix's U.S. market debut. Japan's Nikkei average surged 1.20 percent to 68,557.73, supported by a rally in AI-related stocks, while SoftBank Group soared 10.7 percent. Seoul's Kospi index climbed 2.52 percent to 7,475.94 following a tech-led rally on Wall Street overnight, and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose half a percent to 8,806. China's Shanghai Composite index fell 1 percent to 3,996.16, but Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 0.6 percent to 24,175.12. Brent crude prices held below $76 a barrel but remained on track for a 6 percent weekly gain after the U.S. carried out strikes on 90 Iranian targets and Tehran retaliated.
SoftBank Group Corp.SoftBank Group surged 10.7% as AI-related stocks rallied, driven by demand for AI technology.
SK Hynix IncSK Hynix's U.S. market debut is anticipated, boosting investor sentiment and stock price.