Asian shares mostly rose following Nvidia's earnings beat
Tokyo's Nikkei hit 59,000 mark while South Korea's Kospi surged 2.3%
Nvidia's quarterly revenue jumped 73% to $68 billion, exceeding expectations
Investor concerns about AI boom sustainability were partially alleviated
Analysts predict S&P 500 will reach 8,000 by year-end
📖 Full Retelling
Asian stock markets mostly advanced on Thursday, February 26, 2026, following stronger-than-expected earnings from chipmaker Nvidia, which helped ease investor fears over the sustainability of the artificial intelligence boom, while Japanese markets reacted positively to the appointment of economists favoring low interest rates to the central bank board. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 crossed the 59,000 mark for the first time before slightly retreating, ending up 0.2% at 58,715.33, with SoftBank Group shares rising 3.5% on its AI technology focus. South Korea's Kospi surged 2.3% to 6,222.29, surpassing the 6,000 level for the first time on Wednesday, driven by tech stocks including a 5.5% jump in Samsung Electronics shares. Meanwhile, Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.4%, Shanghai Composite edged 0.1% lower, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 and Taiwan's Taiex posted modest gains of 0.5% and 0.2% respectively. Nvidia's impressive quarterly results, with revenue jumping 73% year-over-year to $68 billion and a current quarter forecast of $78 billion exceeding expectations, helped alleviate concerns about whether the AI craze would deliver substantial returns. The company's CEO Jensen Huang emphasized that demand for Nvidia chips continues to 'skyrocket,' stating 'AI is here, AI is not going to go back.' Despite these positive developments, some investors remain cautious, though Thomas Mathews from Capital Economics predicted the S&P 500 will reach 8,000 by year-end, citing strong profit growth as emphasized by recent earnings reports including Nvidia's.
# Stock Market
A **stock market**, also referred to as an **equity market** or **share market**, is the complex aggregation of buyers and sellers of stocks (shares). These financial instruments represent ownership claims on businesses and serve as a primary vehicle for capital allocation and corpor...
# Artificial Intelligence (AI)
**Artificial Intelligence (AI)** is a specialized field of computer science dedicated to the development and study of computational systems capable of performing tasks typically associated with human intelligence. These tasks include learning, reasoning, problem-solvi...
The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI; Korean: 한국종합주가지수) is the index of all common stocks traded on the Stock Market Division—previously, Korea Stock Exchange—of the Korea Exchange. It is the representative stock market index of South Korea, analogous to the S&P 500 in the United States.
KOS...
Asian shares mostly rise after Nvidia earnings beat expectations Asian stock markets have mostly advanced following stronger-than-expected earnings from chipmaker Nvidia, which helped ease some investor fears over the boom in artificial intelligence By CHAN HO-HIM AP business writer February 26, 2026, 12:09 AM HONG KONG -- U.S. futures fell while Asian shares mostly advanced on Thursday after strong-than-expected earnings from chipmaker Nvidia helped ease some investor worries over the artificial intelligence boom. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 crossed the 59,000 mark for the first time, although it later gave up some gains, rising 0.2% to 58,715.33. Shares of SoftBank Group, which has a focus on AI technology, were up 3.5%. Chipmaker Tokyo Electron lost 2.8%. Share prices also pushed higher after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi appointed two economists viewed as favoring keeping interest rates low to the board of the central bank. South Korea’s Kospi surged 2.3% to 6,222.29, driven by gains for tech-related stocks. The index surpassed the 6,000 level for the first time on Wednesday. It has gained 44% since the beginning of this year after enduring a year of political upheavals that ended with former President Yoon Suk Yeol being sentenced to life in prison. Shares of Samsung Electronics, the country’s biggest listed company, jumped 5.5%. Chipmaker SK Hynix gained 2.5%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 0.4% to 26,656.29. The Shanghai Composite index edged 0.1% lower to 4,144.08. In Australia, the S & P/ASX 200 added 0.5% to 9,174.50. Taiwan's Taiex picked up 0.2%, while India's Sensex traded 0.3% higher. Nvidia’s earnings influence global financial markets both because it is the world’s most valuable company and the biggest S & P 500 constituent and because it is benefiting from advances in AI-related technologies. Its latest quarterly revenue jumped 73% from a year earlier to $68 billion. The California-based company also gave a forecast of $78 billion for revenue in the cur...
