Asian stock markets traded mixed on Thursday following a positive session on Wall Street, with South Korea's KOSPI rallying nearly 4% to around 6,830, a three-week high, after the government announced plans to ease regulatory hurdles for semiconductor and AI megaprojects projected to unlock KRW 4.2 trillion in investments. Japan's Nikkei rose 1.19% to above 68,000 and the Topix climbed 1% to 4,180, while China's Shanghai Composite added 0.28% to 3,957 and the Shenzhen Component gained 1% to 14,554. Hong Kong's Hang Seng was little changed at around 25,400, India's Sensex fell 0.27% to 77,775 in its third straight decline, and Australia's ASX 200 slipped 0.21% to 9,170. The moves came as softer U.S. July CPI data and strong semiconductor earnings bolstered confidence, though geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East tempered sentiment.
