Global stock markets opened the first full trading week of 2026 on a strong note, driven by a renewed rally in technology stocks as investors looked past heightened geopolitical tensions following the ouster of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
Okay News reports that despite concerns over instability in South America, traders focused on continued optimism around artificial intelligence, expectations of further US interest rate cuts, and the release of key economic data that could influence Federal Reserve policy.
Investor attention is also centred on who US President Donald Trump will appoint as the next Fed chair when Jerome Powell’s term ends in May, a decision seen as crucial to the outlook for borrowing costs and market liquidity.
Asian equities led gains globally, with tech-heavy markets outperforming, as Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 surged 3.0 per cent, supported by a 4.9 per cent rise in SoftBank shares and a 7.6 per cent jump in chip equipment maker Tokyo Electron.
South Korea’s Kospi climbed more than 3.0 per cent, with Samsung Electronics soaring 7.5 per cent and SK hynix gaining nearly 3.0 per cent, while Taipei rose 2.6 per cent to a record high, powered by a more than 5.0 per cent surge in chip giant TSMC.
Other Asian markets including Shanghai, Singapore, Bangkok, Jakarta, Wellington, and Manila also closed higher, while Hong Kong and Sydney recorded modest gains, reflecting broad-based regional optimism.
European markets followed suit, with London, Paris, and Frankfurt opening in positive territory, suggesting investors were brushing aside concerns that technology stock valuations have become overstretched amid heavy investment in artificial intelligence.
Market analysts noted that the rally represents one of the strongest starts to a year for Asian equities in over a decade, though some warned that sustained gains would depend on resilient US economic growth, easing inflation, solid corporate earnings, and tangible returns from AI investments.
In commodities, gold rose more than 1.0 per cent to around $4,400 per ounce, while oil prices edged lower as markets assessed the implications of US military action in Venezuela and the possibility of increased crude supply from a country with the world’s largest proven reserves.
Analysts cautioned that restoring Venezuelan oil output would be neither quick nor cheap, given years of underinvestment and sanctions that have reduced production to about one million barrels per day, compared with 3.5 million in 1999.
