SK Hynix and Samsung deliver record earnings, sparking 18% KOSPI surge

Japan's Nikkei 225, the benchmark of 225 large-cap Tokyo stocks, rose 3.86% to close at 64,362, extending gains across Asia as tech rallied on strong memory-chip earnings. Ibiden Co., a semiconductor materials supplier, soared 21.98% on the back of SK Hynix's record profit and shipment of next-generation HBM4 chips, signaling sustained demand for AI infrastructure components. The index tracked Microsoft and Amazon's earnings beats and benefited from a broad-based rotation back into growth stocks after weeks of AI spending fears. (via Investing.com)

South Korea's KOSPI, Seoul's main index, surged 17.91% to 6,595.45 on July 31—the largest single-day gain in its history. SK Hynix soared 29.95% to 1,718,000 won after reporting record operating profit of 60.54 trillion won in the second quarter, up from 37.61 trillion won the prior quarter, on mass shipments of HBM4 memory chips that artificial-intelligence accelerators demand. Samsung Electronics rose 26.81% to 262,500 won, posting record earnings of its own alongside SK Hynix, with the pair generating 150 trillion won in combined operating profit in a single quarter—nearly all of it from AI-driven memory and storage demand. (via Seoul Economic Daily)

Memory supremacy. SK Hynix's HBM4 represents the next frontier of memory chips tailored to AI workloads, and the company's ability to ship them in volume while Samsung ramped production signaled to investors that the industry can keep pace with soaring data-center spending. (via Bloomberg)

China's Shanghai Composite, the main gauge of Shanghai-listed shares, rose 1.1% to 3,843 on Friday, July 31, tracking gains in semiconductor and AI-adjacent sectors as the global memory-chip rally spread from Seoul to Hong Kong and beyond. Electronic components and specialized semiconductor suppliers gained amid SK Hynix and Samsung's record earnings, echoing the strength seen in peers elsewhere. The index still finished July lower overall, buffeted by policy concerns and competition from overseas chipmakers. (via Trading Economics)

Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index closed up 25 points, or 0.1%, at 25,884 on turnover of HK$328.18 billion. Mainland tech shares rallied on Friday, tracking gains on Wall Street and across Asia as investors moved past fears that artificial-intelligence capital spending had peaked. The Hang Seng's tech sub-index benefited from the surge in memory-chip stocks and optimism around Microsoft and Amazon earnings, though the index remained down sharply for the month as a whole. (via RTHK)

Europe's STOXX 600, a 600-company gauge spanning 17 countries, closed down 0.1% at 649.19 after touching an intraday record of 656.67 earlier in the day. Tech shares powered the rally on the back of Microsoft, Amazon, and SK Hynix earnings, reversing the negative sentiment that had dragged the chip sector lower earlier in the month. The index's failure to hold onto gains underscored profit-taking as traders locked in month-long wins ahead of a holiday-shortened August. (via Irish Times)

Britain's FTSE 100, the index of London's 100 largest listed companies, fell 29.22 points, or 0.3%, to 10,868.05 after reaching an intraday record of 10,989.45. The index's energy-heavy composition worked against it, with oil prices falling late in the session, offsetting gains in tech-adjacent names and benefits from strong corporate earnings. The split reflected traders rotating between sectors as July concluded. (via Yahoo Finance)

Germany's DAX 40 climbed roughly 0.8% to near 25,800, reaching its highest level since earlier in the month, with Infineon up 7.33% and Siemens Energy up 4.26% on semiconductor strength. France's CAC 40 rose about 1% to roughly 8,572, pushing to a five-month high. Both indices benefited from Microsoft's strong Azure guidance, Amazon's capex commitment, and SK Hynix's record profit, which signaled that artificial-intelligence spending remains robust despite weeks of skepticism. (via Eurasia Business News)

Wall Street's S&P 500 added 0.7% to close at 7,489.72, bouncing back from July's losses as investors digested strong earnings from the cloud infrastructure giants. Amazon.com Inc. soared 10% after beating second-quarter profit targets and raising its full-year capital expenditure guidance to $220 billion, with CEO Andy Jassy saying most of that spending will flow to artificial-intelligence infrastructure. Microsoft jumped 8% after reporting Azure cloud revenue growth of 43% year-over-year, demonstrating that enterprise demand for AI services remains robust. The gains outweighed Apple Inc.'s 7.6% plunge after the iPhone maker guided for only 9% to 11% fourth-quarter growth, signaling supply-chain constraints amid competition for advanced memory and semiconductors. (via Yahoo Finance)

Memory squeeze hits Apple. Apple executives blamed supply shortages on the company's weaker-than-expected guidance, pointing to a shortage of advanced memory and processors as data-center operators absorbed supplies to feed expanding AI server farms. (via CNBC)

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite soared 1% to 25,373.85, propelled by a surge in semiconductor stocks that snapped a five-day losing streak and delivered the sector's best day in weeks. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index, or SOX, surged 8.2%, with Micron Technology jumping 18.4% and Applied Materials climbing 15% as investors reversed course on memory and chip concerns. The rally reflected a complete reversal of sentiment: just days earlier, fears that artificial-intelligence capital spending had peaked had sent semiconductor leaders reeling, but record earnings from SK Hynix and Samsung, combined with Amazon and Microsoft's bullish outlooks, convinced traders that the chip demand boom has staying power. (via Yahoo Finance)

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, 30 blue-chip US names, rose 277.68 points, or 0.53%, to 52,485.74 on Friday. Amazon's 10% surge accounted for an outsized portion of the index's gains, as investors rewarded the company's earnings beat and commitment to $220 billion in 2026 capital spending. The tech enthusiasm spread to industrial and business-services names, which stand to benefit from expanded data-center buildouts and cloud adoption, and Wall Street finished July with broad gains on hopes that the artificial-intelligence trade remains intact despite weeks of skepticism. (via Yahoo Finance)