Asia-Pacific markets advanced today (4th), after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq hit record highs last Fri (1st), lifting regional technology stocks. Taiwan and South Korea equities scaled fresh peaks again.Hong Kong's HSI rose 439 points or 1.7% at midday to 26,216, with turnover of HKD107.6 billion. Alibaba and Xiaomi jumped 5.6% and 8.8%, while Baidu and Kuaishou each gained more than 4%.Related News G Sachs: AI Investment Boom Spillover to Asia; Taiwan, S Korea Biggest Regional WinnersTaiwan's Weighted Index surged 1,767 points or 4.5% to 40,694, hitting an intraday record of 40,730. TSMC climbed 6.8%. MediaTek rose 10% to the daily limit. ASE Technology gained 9.8%, while Hon Hai Precision and Delta Electronics advanced 3.4% and 2.1%. South Korea's Kospi rose 309 points or 4.7% to 6,908, reaching a new intraday high of 6,911. SK Hynix jumped 11.7%, while affiliate SK Square soared 14.4%. Samsung Electronics added 4.3%.India's Nifty 50 Index increased 261 points or 1.1% to 24,259. Consumer stock Hindustan Unilever gained 4.3%, while automakers Maruti Suzuki and Bajaj Auto rose 3.3%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index slipped 38 points or 0.4% late in the session to 8,691. Gold miner Newmont fell 1.7%, and National Australia Bank declined 1%. New Zealand's NZX 50 Index edged down 26 points or 0.2% to 13,013.Singapore's Straits Times Index rose 29 points or 0.6% to 4,942. DBS, United Overseas Bank and OCBC gained 0.4% to 0.5%. Singtel rose 1.5%, while Yangzijiang Shipbuilding advanced 4.4%. Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, Malaysia and the Philippines gained 0.5% and 0.7%, Indonesia rose less than 0.1%, Hanoi fell 0.4%, and Ho Chi Minh City edged up 0.1%.Related News Citi Raises S Korea's Econ Growth Forecast to 2.9%, Lifts KOSPI TP to 8,500Mainland China, Japan and Thailand markets were closed for holidays. (fc/da)
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