Asian-Pacific markets advanced on Friday as investors focused on renewed strength in semiconductor stocks, largely overlooking a fresh escalation in U.S.-Iran tensions.
By 11:45 am AEST (1:45 am GMT), Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.2%, Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 2.1%, and South Korea's KOSPI 200 surged 4.5%.
South Korean memory-chip giant SK Hynix rose 1.5% ahead of its highly anticipated Nasdaq debut during Friday's U.S. trading session, while Japan's semiconductor equipment maker Tokyo Electron jumped 4%, SoftBank surged 11.4%.
The broader semiconductor rally continued to support regional equities, with investors betting that strong artificial intelligence demand and robust chip earnings can extend gains across technology markets.
Among economic data releases, Japan's corporate goods prices accelerated in June at the fastest pace since early 2023, reinforcing expectations that the Bank of Japan may continue raising interest rates.
The producer price index (PPI), which measures input prices for Japanese businesses, increased 7.1% year-on-year in June, according to the Bank of Japan.
The figure exceeded market expectations for a 6.8% increase, while May's reading was revised higher.
On a monthly basis, corporate goods prices rose 0.4%, following an upward revision to the previous month's data.
U.S. markets ended higher on Thursday, with technology shares driving gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.3%, the S&P 500 climbed 0.8%, and the Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.3%.
In commodities, ICE Brent crude fell 2.2% to settle at US$76.30 a barrel, while spot gold gained 1.2% to finish at US$4,123.35 an ounce.
Chinese equities rallied on Thursday, with the Shanghai Composite Index rising 1.7% to 4,036.6 and the CSI 300 advancing 2.5% to 4,876.3.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index bucked the regional trend, falling 0.7% to 24,030.2, while India's BSE Sensex edged 0.3% higher to 76,741.8.
European markets delivered a mixed performance on Thursday. The UK's FTSE 100 slipped 0.2% to 10,472.5, while Germany's DAX gained 0.9% to 25,118.3 and France's CAC 40 climbed 0.9% to 8,326.6.
