Investing.com-- Most Asian stocks rose on Monday, with Japanese shares leading gains as hype over AI drove investors into tech, while Chinese markets continued to decline amid persistent fears of a slowing economic recovery.
Regional stocks took a positive lead-in from Wall Street, after U.S. stock benchmarks notched record highs on Friday amid stellar gains in the tech sector. Buying into tech was fueled largely by hopes that increasing demand for artificial intelligence development will spur renewed interest in the sector.
Japan leads on tech gains, dovish BOJ bets
Japanese stocks were the biggest beneficiaries of this notion, with the Nikkei 225 surging 1.2% to a new 34-year high, while the broader TOPIX added 0.7% and also traded at its highest level since 1990.
Yamaha Motor Co Ltd (TYO:7272) was the top performer on the Nikkei, surging 5.4% after it announced a deal to buy electric motor maker Torqeedo from Germany’s Deutz AG (F:DEZG)- a sign that the legacy motorcycle manufacturer planned to push further into the electric vehicle market.
Broader strength in Japanese stocks was fueled by growing conviction that the Bank of Japan will largely maintain its ultra-dovish policy at the conclusion of a meeting on Tuesday.
A dovish BOJ was a major point of support for Japanese markets, given that monetary conditions in the country remained ultra-loose even as most other major central banks began hiking rates over the past two years.
Major Japanese tech stocks- particularly those with exposure to the chipmaking sector- also clocked strong gains. Advantest Corp. (TYO:6857) and Tokyo Electron (TYO:8035) added 3% and 1%, respectively.
Asian tech surges as AI hype counters high rate fears
Broader Asian markets rose on Monday, buoyed chiefly by tech gains after TSMC (TW:2330) (NYSE:TSM)- the world’s largest contract chipmaker- offered a positive outlook for 2024 on the back of AI-fuelled demand.
Positive comments from the firm had triggered strong gains in global chipmaking stocks last week- gains which were extended into Monday.
South Korean chipmaking majors Samsung Electronics (LON:0593xq) Co Ltd (KS:005930) and SK Hynix Inc (KS:000660) rose over 1% each, although the broader KOSPI index was flat.
Optimism over AI also helped the tech sector weather increasing bets that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates higher for longer. The CME Fedwatch tool now showed traders pricing in a greater chance that the Fed will keep rates steady in March, compared to earlier bets for a 25 basis point cut.
Gains in the tech sector helped Australia’s ASX 200 rise 0.5% despite weakness in major mining stocks. Rare earths miner Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (ASX:LYC) sank 1.8% after it clocked an over 50% decline in quarterly revenue on sluggish Chinese demand.
Chinese shares lag as economic jitters persist
Chinese stocks remained an outlier among their Asian peers, trading in a flat-to-low range on Monday amid continued concerns over a slowing economic recovery in the country.
The blue-chip Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 index rose 0.2% from a near five-year low, while the Shanghai Composite fell 0.5%. Losses in mainland stocks dragged Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index down 1.4% to a fresh 15-month low.
Chinese stocks were the worst performers in Asia through 2023 as a post-COVID economic recovery largely failed to materialize. Recent data showing persistent weakness in the country saw them extend these losses into 2024.
The People’s Bank of China kept its benchmark loan prime rate on hold at record lows on Monday, signaling it had limited headroom to loosen monetary conditions and support economic growth.
Elsewhere, Indian markets were closed for a special holiday to mark the inauguration of a temple in North India. Futures for the Nifty 50 pointed to more weakness in the index after it was hit with a wave of profit-taking last week.
Traders were also on edge over any potential communal violence in the country stemming from the inauguration of the temple, which has been a contentious point for Hindu-Muslim relations.
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