Nikkei 225 Jumps 3% as Chip Stocks Rally on Iran Deal Hopes

Japan’s Nikkei 225 climbed 3.34% Wednesday to 66,090 points, marking its sharpest one-day gain in weeks. Chip stocks led the advance across Asian markets.

The rally followed an overnight surge on Wall Street. Traders also welcomed fresh hope that the United States and Iran will soon reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Chip Stocks Lead The Rally

The Nikkei 225 opened nearly 1% higher and climbed steadily through the session. The gain reversed recent pressure tied to Bank of Japan currency intervention.

SoftBank Group surged more than 10%, according to CNBC. Tokyo Electron added 3.64%, Advantest gained 7%, and Kioxia rose 6.34%.

South Korea’s SK Hynix jumped around 6%. Samsung Electronics gained more than 4% at the open, extending South Korea’s chip rebound into the new session.

Ortus Advisors strategist Andrew Jackson linked the move to renewed U.S. semiconductor strength. He said it reinforced the bullish outlook for Asian AI stocks.

SK Hynix also partnered with SanDisk (SNDK) to launch High Bandwidth Flash (HBF), a new memory standard for AI servers. Investors read the move as a sign of continued momentum in AI memory supply chains.

Bessent’s Iran Remarks Support The Rally

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC Tuesday he expects a deal “today or tomorrow” to reopen the strait. He called it a critical corridor for global oil shipments.

Iran has periodically threatened the waterway during its conflict with the United States. Bessent’s comments followed Trump’s Monday Hormuz talks announcement.

The remarks helped push oil prices lower. Cheaper oil eases cost pressure on energy-dependent economies like Japan and South Korea.

Overnight, the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average both closed at record highs. The Nasdaq Composite led gains, climbing 2.59%.

Wednesday’s gains follow a volatile stretch for Japanese and South Korean equities. Morgan Stanley’s Korea upgrade points to further room for chip stocks to recover. Traders will watch whether the rally holds once Washington and Tehran confirm a Hormuz deal.