<div id="readability-page-1" class="page"><div><p>Asia-Pacific markets advanced as investors bet on a potential peace agreement between the US and Iran. A sharp rally in US chip stocks fueled strong buying in regional semiconductor shares, with the South Korean market hitting a record high and surging sharply intraday.</p><p>The RMB central parity against the USD reached its highest level since March 2023. Chinas unofficial services PMI rose to 52.6 in April, beating expectations. Mainland markets resumed trading after the Labor Day holiday, with the Shanghai Composite at 4,164 at midday, up 52 points or 1.3%, and the Shenzhen Component Index at 15,496, up 388 points or 2.6%. Hong Kongs HSI rose 205 points or 0.8% to 26,104, with turnover of HKD165.9 billion. Semiconductor stocks were actively traded, with SMIC and Hua Hong Semiconductor surging 9% and 13%, respectively, while chip developers Alibaba and Baidu gained more than 4%.</p><p>Taiwans Weighted Index rose 316 points or 0.8% to 41,085, hitting an intraday record high of 41,575. MediaTek jumped 9.4%, Hon Hai rose 5.1%, TSMC and ASE Technology gained 0.4% and 0.8%, respectively, while Delta Electronics added 1.4%.</p><p>Japans market was closed for a holiday. South Koreas Kospi surged 470 points or 6.8% to a record 7,407. Samsung Electronics soared 15.1%, lifting its market capitalization above USD1 trillion. SK Hynix and SK Square climbed 10.4% and 9.3%, respectively, while Hyundai Heavy Industries fell 4.7%. Indias Nifty 50 Index rose 108 points or 0.5% to 24,141. Low-cost carrier IndiGo and Tata Groups retail arm Trent both gained 3.2%, while automakers Mahindra, Tata Motors and Bajaj Auto rose between 1.8% and 2.8%.</p><p>Australias S&amp;P/ASX 200 Index increased 85 points or 1% to 8,765. Banking stocks Westpac and ANZ rose 3% and 2.9%, respectively, while National Australia Bank and Commonwealth Bank of Australia gained 2.6% and 2.2%. Mining giant BHP also advanced 2%. New Zealands NZX 50 Index rose 76 points or 0.6% to 13,111.</p><p>Singapores Straits Times Index edged up 3 points to 4,924. Technology firm Venture and CSE Global surged 11.2% and 12.5%, respectively, while chip testing company AEM rose 2.2% and Singtel fell 1.9%. Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, markets in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines rose 0.6% to 0.9%, Thailand gained 1.3%, Hanoi edged up 0.2%, while Ho Chi Minh City slipped 0.1%. (fc/u)</p></div><p>This article was automatically translated by AI, the Chinese version should be considered the authoritative version. AASTOCKS.com Limited does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness and accepts no liability for any damages or losses arising from the use of this translation.</p></div>

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<p>Asia-Pacific markets rose as investors anticipated a potential peace agreement between the US and Iran. The South Korean Kospi surged nearly 7% to a record high, with Samsung Electronics' market cap exceeding USD 1 trillion. Strong performances were noted in semiconductor stocks across the region, with significant gains in China, Taiwan, and Australia. The RMB reached its highest level against the USD since March 2023, and China's unofficial services PMI exceeded expectations. Overall, the region saw positive trading activity following the Labor Day holiday.</p>

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Asia-Pacific Markets Rise; Kospi Surges Nearly 7% to Record High, Samsung Electronics Market Cap Exceeds USD1 Trillion