South Korea’s KOSPI led gains across Asian markets on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, rising more than 4%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 climbed 3.1% to 65979.02 points, supported by gains in technology stocks and strong earnings after the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average hit new records on Wall Street.
Gains in South Korea and Japan
The small-cap KOSDAQ rose 2%, while Japan’s TOPIX gained 1.57% and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 advanced 0.13%. By contrast, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.4%, while China’s CSI 300 was little changed.
Chip and artificial-intelligence stocks lead gains
Shares in SoftBank Group jumped more than 10%, while Tokyo Electron, which makes chipmaking equipment, rose 3.64%. Advantest gained 7%, and Japanese memory-chip maker Kioxia climbed 6.34%.
In South Korea, SK Hynix shares jumped 6.9% and Samsung Electronics rose more than 4%, while Seoul Semiconductor gained 7.6%.
The recent rally in U.S. semiconductor stocks has bolstered the positive outlook for Asian artificial-intelligence companies, pointing to an overnight surge in chipmakers and infrastructure suppliers.
Jackson attributed gains in Arm Holdings, the SoftBank-owned chip designer, to optimism over artificial-intelligence-related data-center revenue and plans to develop central processing units.
Murata shares jumped 8.33% after the maker of multilayer ceramic capacitors used to regulate power in artificial-intelligence servers raised its annual net profit forecast. Fanuc shares rose 3.67% after the robotics maker raised its annual net profit forecast.
Compared with the past, more companies raised their full-year forecasts in the first quarter, suggesting they had set cautious projections because of the impact of the war in the Middle East.
Hashizume added that the series of upward revisions to Japanese companies’ forecasts was broadly positive for equities. The banking index also rose, with shares in Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Mizuho Financial Group each gaining more than 1%.
Wall Street hits record levels
The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average hit new records on Tuesday, supported by strong earnings and another decline in oil prices amid hopes that the Strait of Hormuz would soon reopen. The Nasdaq Composite jumped 2.59% to close at 26,584.99 points, while Palantir Technologies shares rose more than 29%.
Futures tied to the S&P 500 were little changed after the rally, while Dow Jones futures rose 90 points, or 0.2%. S&P 500 futures gained 0.1%, while Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.2%.
