Asia-Pacific markets rose on Tuesday, tracking strong gains from Wall Street overnight as a rally in Apple shares boosted investor sentiment.
By 11:50 am AEDT (12:50 am GMT), Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.7%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 1.3% to a fresh all-time high, and South Korea’s Kospi 200 rallied 1.9%, also hitting a new record.
Investors were closely watching Japan’s parliamentary vote, where Sanae Takaichi is expected to become the country’s next prime minister. Her leadership bid gained further momentum after the right-wing opposition Japan Innovation Party announced on Monday it would back her premiership.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a critical minerals agreement designed to curb China’s dominance in the sector.
On Wall Street, major indexes extended Friday’s rebound. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.1%, the S&P 500 gained 1.1%, and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.4%. The rally was largely driven by renewed investor confidence in tech stocks.
In commodities, Brent crude fell 0.5% to US$61.01 per barrel, its lowest level since 5 May.
Gold resumed its upward momentum, rising 2.4% to a record US$4,355.80 per ounce.
In China, the Shanghai Composite added 0.6% to close at 3,863.9, while the CSI 300 rose 0.5% to 4,538.2.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained 2.4% to 25,858.8, supported by technology and property shares.
India’s BSE Sensex climbed 0.5% to 83,84,363.4, marking its highest close since October 2024.
European markets also strengthened on Monday. The UK’s FTSE 100 rose 0.5% to 9,403.6, Germany’s DAX surged 1.8% to 24,258.8, and France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.4% to 8,206.1.
