06:51 AM EDT, 06/25/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets largely joined the global tech rally Thursday, which was re-ignited late Wednesday after US memory-device maker Micron Technology ( MU ) reported strong quarterly results and issued upbeat guidance.

Shanghai and Tokyo finished in the green, as did most other regional exchanges. Seoul's KOSPI index rose 5.4% in the day, driven higher by share prices of semiconductor giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.

Brent crude futures traded down 1.3% to $72.88 a barrel, the lowest since late February.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened higher and rose to the close, finishing up 4.6% as traders renewed their appetite for AI- and semiconductor issues.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 3,191.37 to 72,366.34, a fresh all-time apex on the index, as gaining issues outnumbered losers 148 to 76.

Leading the upside was semiconductor-testing equipment maker Advantest, up 15.1%, while electronics-house Sharp declined 9.7%.

In economic news, Japan's leading economic index logged at 116.1 in April, up from 115.4 in March, and striking the highest level since July 2021.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened lower and could not recover, closing down 1.4% as traders warily eyed e-commerce platforms such as Alibaba ( BABA ) , Tencent and Meituan, in light of soft mainland China consumer spending.

The broad gauge Hang Seng fell 335.27 to 23,076.91, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 60 to 33. The Hang Seng TECH Index lost 1.6% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index fell 1.4%.

Leading the upside was toolmaker Techtronic, gaining 5.9%, while smartphone-components maker Sunny Optical Technology declined 11.7%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite rose 0.2% to 4,120.28.

On the other regional exchanges, the Taiwan TWSE inclined 0.5%; the Australian ASX 200 declined 0.7%; the Singapore Straits Times Index rose 0.1%, and the Thai Set inclined 0.7%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was up 0.1%.

The MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index rose 1.4% on the day.