SEOUL, April 14 (AJP) - Asian markets were broadly upbeat Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump hinted at renewed negotiations with Iran, raising hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough before the two-week ceasefire ends next Tuesday.
South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI led the gains, rising 3.2 percent to 5,993.59 after flirting with 6,000. The KOSDAQ gained 2.3 percent to 1,125.03 as of 11:15 a.m.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 2.55 percent to 57,943.50, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index advanced 0.90 percent to 25,891.28, and China’s Shanghai Composite Index was up 0.33 percent at 4,001.65.
Semiconductors led gains, with SK hynix soaring 7 percent to 1,113,000 won and testing a new record high on expectations for stellar first-quarter earnings. Samsung Electronics rose 3.6 percent to 208,500 won.
Automakers also advanced, as Hyundai Motor gained 4.28 percent to 499,000 won and Kia rose 2.24 percent to 150,700 won.
Among biopharmaceutical stocks, Celltrion rose 2.72 percent to 200,500 won, supported by news that the company completed a record-scale treasury share retirement, cancelling about 4 percent of its outstanding shares — equivalent to roughly 1.78 trillion won.
Strong earnings also supported the stock, with the company posting 4.16 trillion won in revenue and 1.17 trillion won in operating profit last year, as profit jumped 137.5 percent from a year earlier and margins improved.
Industrial and defense stocks were mixed, with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries adding 1.51 percent to 470,000 won, while Hanwha Aerospace slipped 1.50 percent to 1,507,000 won.
Among battery shares, LG Energy Solution edged down 0.12 percent to 401,000 won and Samsung SDI fell 1.20 percent to 471,750 won.
Financials moved higher overall, with KB Financial Group gaining 0.45 percent to 157,300 won, Shinhan Financial Group rising 1.12 percent to 99,400 won, and Mirae Asset Securities surging 11.64 percent to 72,900 won.
On the KOSDAQ, biopharmaceutical and healthcare stocks showed broadly positive momentum, with Alteogen rising 2.26 percent to 361,500 won and Samchundang Pharm adding 0.19 percent to 527,000 won. ABL Bio gained 1.94 percent to 158,000 won, while HLB surged 8.40 percent to 63,200 won and LigaChem Biosciences jumped 4.40 percent to 197,100 won. Caregen also advanced 1.74 percent to 93,600 won.
Defense and industrial-related names traded mixed, with LIG Nex1 climbing 0.96 percent to 94,600 won, while Rino Industrial slipped 1.50 percent to 111,700 won.
Robotics and tech-related stocks were strong, as Rainbow Robotics surged 3.75 percent to 608,000 won and Peptron gained 2.69 percent to 267,000 won.
In the currency market, the won strengthened slightly, with the dollar trading at 1,479.50 won, compared with the previous close of 1,489.30.
Overnight on Wall Street, all three major indexes closed higher as investors leaned toward optimism over a potential de-escalation. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.63 percent to 48,218.25, the S&P 500 gained 1.02 percent to 6,886.24, and the Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.23 percent to 23,183.74. The gains were driven by a continued rally in technology stocks, with Oracle surging 12.69 percent.
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