Asian Markets: Nikkei and Kospi lead tech rebound following Anthropic IPO filing

Asian technology stocks rebounded on Tuesday as Anthropic’s IPO filing revived investor interest in artificial intelligence-related shares.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 (NKY:IND) rose more than 2% to 63,500, with the Japanese yen depreciating past 157.5 per dollar. South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI posted strong gains, climbing 4.06% to move above 5,690. Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index (HSI) edged down 0.3% to around 23,150, and mainland China’s Shanghai Composite (SHCOMP) dipped 0.1% to 3,694. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 (AS51) fell 0.4% to 8,774, while the Australian dollar held steady near $0.70.

Regional market sentiment was influenced by a flurry of key economic data. China’s industrial profits rose 15.5% Y/Y to CNY 6.03 trillion through the first nine months of 2026, while September industrial output expanded 5.5% Y/Y, marking its fastest growth pace since March.

In Japan, the Services Producer Price Index rose 3.7% Y/Y in September, accelerating from a revised 3.5% in the prior month and matching market expectations.

Investors are also eyeing key central bank decisions this week. The Bank of Japan, U.S. Federal Reserve, and European Central Bank are widely expected to keep interest rates on hold, though the possibility of policy shifts later in the year remains on the radar.

On Wall Street, U.S. stock indices closed higher on Monday, driven by the renewed AI momentum. U.S. stock futures edged higher overnight as markets carried over positive momentum from Wall Street's solid start to the week.