Most Asian stocks climbed Monday, led by tech gains as artificial intelligence optimism outweighed uncertainty over a US-Iran peace deal.
South Korea's KOSPI hit a record high, surging nearly 5% to 8,874.16 points. Chip giants Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and LG Electronics soared on expectations of AI partnerships with Nvidia.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is set to visit South Korea this week, boosting local tech stocks. Nvidia's strong ties with Korean firms, especially SK Hynix and Samsung, fueled optimism.
Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 1%, with SoftBank rallying over 10% to become the country's most valuable company, surpassing Toyota. Other chip stocks like Murata and Kioxia also surged.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 0.5%, while Chinese indexes fell on soft manufacturing PMI data. Australia's ASX 200 dipped 0.1%, Singapore was flat, and India's Nifty futures edged down 0.2%.
Wall Street's record highs on Friday, supported by a mild US inflation reading, also buoyed regional sentiment.
