Why it matters
- South Korea's Kospi rose 2.05% to 5,668.05 on Friday after seven straight losses, and Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 1.39% to 65,324.29, Yahoo Finance data showed, as selling in chip stocks eased.
- The rebound did not erase the week's damage. The Nikkei fell 5.37% from Friday, Oct. 9, its steepest weekly drop since July, Trading Economics said, and the Kospi lost 14.46% from its Oct. 8 close.
- Australia's ASX 200 jumped 1.00% to a near five-week high and India's Sensex rose 0.56%, ending the week up 3.11%, while the Shenzhen Component slipped to a more than one-year low.
Session recap: what happened in this region's trading day, with sources.
Asian stocks rebounded on Friday, Oct. 16, as a global sell-off in technology shares eased. South Korea's Kospi rose 2.05% to 5,668.05, ending a seven-session losing streak, and Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 1.39% to 65,324.29, according to Yahoo Finance data. Most markets still ended the week sharply lower.
| Market | Friday close | Change vs. Thursday | Change on the week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nikkei 225 (Japan) | 65,324.29 | +1.39% | −5.37% |
| Kospi (South Korea) | 5,668.05 | +2.05% | −14.46%* |
| Taiex (Taiwan) | 47,111.26 | +0.30% | −4.47%* |
| Hang Seng (Hong Kong) | 24,186.83 | +0.52% | −0.10% |
| Shanghai Composite (China) | 3,716.28 | +0.24% | −2.56% |
| Shenzhen Component (China) | 11,802.46 | −0.12% | −6.64% |
| CSI 300 (China) | 4,170.61 | +0.11% | — |
| S&P/ASX 200 (Australia) | 8,806.70 | +1.00% | +1.03% |
| Sensex (India) | 74,729.27 | +0.56% | +3.11% |
| Nifty 50 (India) | 23,146.15 | +0.65% | +2.78% |
Source: Yahoo Finance daily chart data. Daily changes are from Thursday, Oct. 15, closes; weekly changes are from Friday, Oct. 9, closes. \South Korea and Taiwan were closed Oct. 9, so their weekly changes use Thursday, Oct. 8, closes. The CSI 300 daily change uses Thursday's 4,166.01 close; a weekly figure could not be verified from the daily bars.*
Why did Asian stocks rise today?
Selling pressure on tech stocks eased, and markets tracked an upbeat session on Wall Street overnight, Trading Economics said; see our Americas Thursday recap. Sentiment improved after TSMC reported a record third-quarter profit, and Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh did not signal an imminent rate hike in remarks in Bangkok despite hot U.S. inflation data, Trading Economics said.
In Seoul, Samsung Electronics climbed 2.74% and SK hynix 0.79%, while Hanwha Aerospace jumped 7.77% and Hyundai Motor 5.41%, Trading Economics reported. Foreign investors returned to net buying, purchasing 343.5 billion won of shares, it said. Concerns about AI valuations and Chinese competition in memory chips persisted, it added.
In Tokyo, Kioxia rose 3.8% and Lasertec 5.1%, while Toyota Motor gained 2.2% and Mitsubishi UFJ 1.8%, Trading Economics said. The yen was at about 158.0 per dollar around 12:50 GMT, Yahoo Finance data showed.
How did Taiwan and China trade?
The Taiex edged up 0.30%, but TSMC slipped 0.2% after CEO C.C. Wei warned on Thursday about macroeconomic uncertainty and weak consumer demand, Trading Economics said. MediaTek rose 2.8% and Hon Hai Precision 2.7%. The index posted its first weekly decline in five weeks, it said.
The Shanghai Composite rose 0.24%, while the Shenzhen Component fell 0.12% to a more than one-year low, as investors weighed trade tensions between China and the European Union, Trading Economics said. China stepped up efforts to steady its market by urging companies and state funds to buy shares, it reported. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng rose 0.52%, led by a 6.2% gain in Lenovo.
Australia and India
Australia's ASX 200 rose to a near five-week high, Trading Economics said, and posted a third straight weekly gain. BHP jumped 3.5% after a labor deal averted a strike at Chile's Escondida copper mine, it reported.
India's Sensex closed at its highest since Sept. 23, Trading Economics said. Tech Mahindra jumped 8.5% after stronger-than-expected results. The index's 3.11% weekly gain was its best in six months, it said.
What comes next for Asian markets?
China releases third-quarter GDP and September activity data at 10 a.m. Beijing time on Monday, Oct. 19, according to the National Bureau of Statistics calendar. Europe's session is in our Europe Friday recap, U.S. data and futures are in our day-ahead guide, and live levels are on the markets page.
Follow the rest of the trading day on our global market today page, with the latest Asia, Europe and Americas session recaps.
Sources
- Trading Economics, South Korea stock market (Kospi)
- Trading Economics, Japan stock market (Nikkei 225)
- Trading Economics, Taiwan stock market (Taiex)
- Trading Economics, China stock market (Shanghai Composite)
- Trading Economics, Hong Kong stock market (Hang Seng)
- Trading Economics, Australia stock market (ASX 200)
- Trading Economics, India stock market (Sensex)
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2026 release calendar
- Yahoo Finance, chart data for the Nikkei 225, Kospi, Taiex, Hang Seng, Shanghai Composite, Shenzhen Component, CSI 300, S&P/ASX 200, Sensex, Nifty 50 and USD/JPY