Asian stock markets rally after Dow Jones hits record

The Dow Jones Industrial Average posted a new record, gaining 1.1% to 52,900.07 points. Following the US advance, major Asian equity indexes moved higher on Friday.

South Korea’s Kospi recovered from a near‑8% drop on Thursday, rising 2.8% to 7,863.22, with Samsung Electronics up 7% and SK Hynix up 4.9%. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 climbed 0.9% to 69,368.30. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 1.7% to 23,444.45, while the Shanghai Composite rose 0.7% to 4,056.81. Taiwan’s Taiex slipped 0.6%, and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 1.3% to 8,834.90.

U.S. futures were modestly higher and oil prices fell after the war‑related surge eased, reducing inflation pressure. A labor report showed employers added only 57,000 jobs, well below the 100,000 forecast, which could lessen the Federal Reserve’s drive to raise rates.

Technology‑focused stocks showed mixed moves: Nvidia fell 1.4%, Micron Technology dropped 5.5% and Lam Research slid 10.2%, while cryptocurrency firms such as Robinhood and Coinbase rose about 4% after Bitcoin recovered roughly 2%.