Asian Stock Markets Rise: Investors Are Optimistic

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At the end of a volatile week in Asian markets, most stocks rose on Monday, boosting investor optimism. This optimism was supported by a technology rally led by artificial intelligence on Wall Street.

As investors returned to the week in a good mood following a positive closure in October, the gradual easing of U.S.-China tensions, interest rate cuts implemented by the Federal Reserve, and healthy earnings provided by market favorites like Amazon positively affected the markets.

Traders are waiting for critical U.S. job data to be released later in the week while they hold concerns that the ongoing government shutdown may be temporarily suspended due to the lack of compromise between Democrats and Republicans.

Despite the government being closed, analysts indicate that this could have an impact on American citizens. Chris Weston from Pepperstone stated, “The shutdown could be the longest on record, but the markets have largely remained unaffected.”

Weston added, “This week is expected to see rising public unrest. Food aid for low-income families has been halted and disruptions in domestic travel are increasing. Americans seeking to access Affordable Care Act plans may find it increasingly challenging to register.”

Following the decline caused by U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs last April, global markets experienced a surge; Wall Street’s three major indices and several other indices reached record levels. These gains are based on Federal Reserve interest rate cuts and increased investment in artificial intelligence.

This situation has led some companies’ valuations to rise to very high levels; for instance, chipmaker Nvidia became the first company to reach a market value of $5 trillion last week.

The rise in Wall Street was mostly followed in Asian markets at the beginning of the week. Hong Kong, Singapore, Wellington, and Taipei all rose, while Seoul reached record levels with an increase of more than 1%. Investors were pleased with the warming relations between South Korea and China.

However, Shanghai, Sydney, and Manila faced losses. Tokyo was closed due to a holiday.

Investors are monitoring new developments after Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week. The two leaders agreed to ease China’s rare earth restrictions and to reduce U.S. tariffs.

Additionally, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent warned on Sunday that the White House could raise tariffs again if it restricts rare earth exports.

Oil prices rose after the OPEC+ coalition indicated it would increase production in December but announced a halt in production for the first three months of 2026.

Gold prices remained around $4,000 after China announced it would lift tax incentives on purchasing the product. This precious metal fell after a more than 60% increase since the beginning of the year, following a record high of over $4,381 on October 20 as investors realized profits.

Key figures around 0230 GMT: