Equity markets in the Asia-Pacific region opened the week in positive territory, recovering from last week’s pullback tied to concerns over inflated valuations in the artificial intelligence sector. South Korea’s benchmark Kospi set the tone on Monday, advancing 3.48% and recording the strongest performance among major regional gauges.
The rebound in Seoul was broad-based. Financial shares, particularly banks and insurance companies, provided a solid foundation, while heavyweight technology names extended the momentum. Samsung Electronics climbed 2.60% and memory-chip maker SK Hynix rallied 5.78%. Outside the index bellwethers, holding company SK Inc added roughly 10%, and GS Holdings—active in energy, retail and construction—rose more than 11%. The small-capitalization Kosdaq index also participated, gaining 1.29%.
Japan followed with solid advances. The Nikkei 225 added 1.31% and the broader Topix improved 0.62%. On the fixed-income side, the yield on 10-year Japanese government bonds touched 1.695%, the highest level since October. Minutes from the Bank of Japan’s late-October policy meeting, released Monday, suggested that policymakers see conditions “almost met” for a near-term increase in the short-term policy rate, although the discussion acknowledged the need for clearer evidence that underlying inflation is firmly embedded. Additional details can be found on the Bank of Japan’s official website.
