Trump pledges to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, Asian tech stocks lead markets to record highs

Odaily reported that Asian stock markets surged on Monday, driven by robust earnings from major U.S. tech companies and Trump's statement that the U.S. will begin guiding some neutral vessels stranded in the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, with tech stocks rebounding accordingly. The MSCI Asia-Pacific Index excluding Japan rose as much as 2.7%, reaching a record high.

Tech-heavy benchmark indices in South Korea and Taiwan both soared over 3.5%. SK Hynix shares surged nearly 10%, while TSMC jumped more than 6%. Dilin Wu, a research strategist at Pepperstone Group, stated that markets like South Korea are currently performing well due to this AI-driven trading or hype. She noted that she is "cautiously optimistic about Asian markets overall," as geopolitical uncertainties and high oil prices could constrain the stock market. (Jinshi)