Market Update: U.S. and Asian Stock Movements
On June 26, 2026, traders are present at the New York Stock Exchange.
U.S. stock futures showed a slight decline early Friday morning. This comes after a robust week for Wall Street, which saw the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite moving upward. Interestingly, Asian tech stocks are on the rise today, reflecting a strong performance from U.S. chip manufacturers overnight.
S&P 500 futures decreased by 0.11%, while Nasdaq 100 futures fell by 0.1%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures remained stable.
Wall Street is experiencing a win as the Nasdaq Composite increased by 1.3% on Thursday, with the S&P 500 also rising by 0.8%. The 30 shares of the Dow closed 0.3% higher.
This upward trend in the markets is partly attributed to lower oil prices, following President Trump’s remarks about Iran seeking a deal. Both Qatar and Pakistan are reportedly facilitating discussions between the U.S. and Tehran, according to officials.
In Asia-Pacific markets, trading began positively on Friday, led by strong performance in South Korean stocks. The Korean Kospi index saw a rise of 4.6%, with the small-cap Kosdaq soaring by 5.9%. Japanese markets also gained, with the Nikkei Stock Average climbing by 1.5% and the TOPIX rising by 0.5%. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 increased by 0.3%. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong jumped 1.86%, while mainland China’s CSI300 index edged up by 0.4%.
Positive sentiment surrounding chip manufacturers is lifting major U.S. averages, with many investors holding onto the hope that strong earnings will drive the market beyond tech stocks and foster continued growth.
This upbeat sentiment has spilled over into Asian tech stocks as well. Notably, Japan’s SoftBank Group surged more than 11%, while Japanese chip equipment makers like Advantest and Renesas Electronics saw gains of 3.9% and 3%, respectively. Tokyo Electron rose by 4%.
In South Korea, notable stock movements include Samsung Electronics rising by 4.3%, Samsung SDI climbing by 8.3%, and LG Display increasing by 4.4%. Seoul Semiconductor recorded a 5.9% rise, while SK Hynix, a memory chip maker, added 1.3% ahead of its debut in the U.S. market.
“I think the market continues to be driven by earnings,” said Ed Yardeni, president of Yardeni Research, during a segment on CNBC. “People are looking for reasons to fret about things like AI fatigue, but the truth is, if revenue keeps climbing, you’ll outpace the worries.”
Investors are particularly focused on the U.S. listing of SK Hynix, which has seen remarkable growth this year due to soaring demand for memory chips. The pricing for U.S. deposit receipts is set at $149 each, according to reports.
Traders are also anticipating the company’s second-quarter results, with Delta Airlines set to release its data on Friday morning.
As for the week’s overall performance, stocks are on track for mixed results. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 1.5% and the S&P 500 up 0.8% by Thursday’s close, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average experienced a decline of 0.8%.
