SoftBank jumps 10% as Asia tech stocks track Wall Street AI rally

Asian technology stocks surged on August 5, 2026, tracking a powerful Wall Street rally that sent U.S. indexes to record highs. SoftBank Group led the charge with a gain of more than 10%.

The rally lifted major chip-related names across the region. In Japan, Tokyo Electron added 3.64%, Advantest jumped 7%, and memory chipmaker Kioxia rose 6.34%. South Korean markets saw SK Hynix jump 6.9%, Samsung Electronics gain over 4%, and Seoul Semiconductor pop 7.6%.

The gains matter because they reflect growing investor confidence in artificial intelligence, fueled by strong U.S. earnings and easing oil prices. According to Ortus Advisors strategist Andrew Jackson, the overnight surge in U.S. semiconductor stocks reinforced a bullish outlook for Asian AI names, pointing to increased activity among chipmakers and infrastructure suppliers.

Jackson noted that SoftBank could see further gains after its majority-owned chip design subsidiary, Arm Holdings, jumped overnight. The rise was driven by optimism over higher AI-related data center royalties and CPU development plans.

The U.S. rally on August 4, 2026, saw the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average hit fresh record highs, helped by strong corporate earnings and another decline in oil prices. Those declines were tied to hopes that the Strait of Hormuz could soon reopen. The Nasdaq Composite popped 2.59% to close at 26,584.99, with Palantir Technologies rallying over 29%.

Jackson expects SoftBank to extend its gains further, building on the momentum from Arm Holdings' overnight performance.