Asia markets hit record highs on tech rally

February 25, 2026 (MLN): Asian markets rallied on Wednesday, with benchmark indices in Japan and South Korea scaling fresh record highs, tracking a technology-led surge on United States equities overnight.

Concerns over artificial intelligence-driven disruption in certain industries eased, fueling gains across the region.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 climbed more than 1.4% to a new peak, while the broader Topix added 0.3%. South Korea’s Kospi jumped 1.72%, surpassing the 6,000-point milestone for the first time.

Major index constituents SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics posted gains of 0.6% and 0.88%, respectively. The small-cap Kosdaq edged up 0.16%, as reported by CNBC.

Elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 1.13%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index advanced 0.39%, while mainland China’s CSI 300 gained 0.49%.

Taiwan’s benchmark index surged 1.8%, marking its fifth consecutive record close.

In the cryptocurrency market, Bitcoin rebounded around 2% to trade near the $65,000 level after briefly slipping below $63,000 in the previous session.

Energy prices showed the geopolitical risk, with West Texas Intermediate crude futures climbing 0.61% to $66.03 per barrel.

Markets are also awaiting U.S. President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address later in the day for further policy signals.

Overnight on Wall Street, technology shares led a broad-based rally.

The S&P 500 rose 0.77% to close at 6,890.07, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 1.04% to settle at 22,863.68.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 370.44 points, or 0.76%, ending at 49,174.50.

Chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices surged 8.8% after announcing a multi-year partnership with Meta Platforms to supply up to 6 gigawatts of graphics processing units for artificial intelligence data centers.

Meta also committed to investing in AMD through a performance-based warrant for up to 160 million shares.

The development follows Meta’s recent disclosure that it is deploying millions of chips from Nvidia in its data center expansion, with Nvidia shares adding 0.7%.

Meanwhile, gains in industrial and retail stocks further supported the Dow.

Shares of Home Depot climbed nearly 2% after the company posted its first earnings beat in a year.

IBM also recovered, rebounding after sharp losses in the previous session triggered by AI-related concerns.

The synchronized rally across global equities emphasizes renewed investor confidence in the technology sector, even as geopolitical and macroeconomic risks continue to shape market direction.

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