ASIA MARKET OPEN | Nikkei Jumps 2% and KOSPI Adds Over 3% at Open on Chip Rally; Hong Kong Dips

According to Yonhap, HKET and UDN Money, Asian equities opened broadly higher on Monday, led by a chip-driven rally in Tokyo and Seoul, while Hong Kong slipped at the open. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 opened sharply higher, trading around 66,320.31 as of 01:39 UTC, up about 2.00% (+1,299.37), with chip-equipment names leading. Tokyo Electron rose 4.67% and Advantest gained 4.53%, while Sony eased 2.27%. Seoul's KOSPI opened at 6,910.78, up 223.57 points, and was at 6,886.58 as of 01:39 UTC, up 2.98%. The KOSDAQ opened at 822.91, up 9.41 points. Samsung Electronics advanced 3.72% and SK Hynix gained 5.77% as memory-chip demand optimism persisted. Hong Kong's Hang Seng opened flat, up 2 points at 25,652, and stood at 25,577.48 as of 01:39 UTC, down 0.29%. The Hang Seng Tech Index eased about 0.3% to 4,558. Newly promoted blue chip Hua Hong Semiconductor rose nearly 2%, while Meituan slipped 0.31% and Xiaomi fell 0.77%. Taiwan's TAIEX opened up 172.87 points at 46,724 and reclaimed the 47,000 level, standing at 47,254.10 as of 01:39 UTC, up 1.51%. TSMC rose 1.45% to NT$2,445 and MediaTek gained 9.29% to NT$4,825, while Hon Hai eased 0.98%. In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite opened firmer and was at 3,938.80 as of 01:39 UTC, up 0.22%, while the Shenzhen Component gained 0.95% to 13,646.04. Sentiment was supported by news that the Ministry of Finance will issue 300 billion yuan of special treasury bonds to help eight central state-owned financial enterprises replenish capital, with the firms announcing a combined 360 billion yuan capital injection.