Tokyo’s benchmark hit another record before retreating while China stocks rode the AI wave to continue their 2024 surge

Tokyo’s benchmark showed no signs of retreat as foreign funds flowed into Japan while China’s markets ran out of steam after a nine-session rally

Investor attention was split on Friday with bets on the AI revolution competing for attention with China’s sketchy recovery

US chip designer Nvidia’s 233% quarterly revenue surge forecast supercharged a regional rally which saw a record day in Tokyo

Looming results from chip giant Nvidia preoccupied traders across the region while China’s markets rode a policy boost wave

China’s markets were slow to react to its biggest ever mortgage rate cut while Tokyo’s record run stalls

China’s markets enjoyed a post-holiday boost though the picture was messy elsewhere with relief from high interest rates still looking some way off

Chinese, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korean markets were closed for the Lunar New Year, while Japan was also shut for National Day

An underwhelming end to the year of the rabbit saw Hong Kong’s benchmark fall back while Tokyo’s main bourse advanced again

Tokyo’s benchmark index continued its unassailable rise, boosted by BOJ’s signal on tightening, while Hong Kong was the region’s outlier

Chinese investors were still in buoyant mood after Beijing’s policy boosts but longer term uncertainty also cast a shadow

Investors across the region responded positively to Beijing’s latest efforts to turnaround its markets’ fortunes