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Asian stock markets saw gains on Monday, extending optimism from the previous week, fuelled by a US tech rally driven by artificial intelligence (AI), which recently pushed Nvidia to a $5 trillion valuation.
The market upswing followed favourable developments at the end of October, specifically a Federal Reserve interest rate cut and an agreement between the US and China to ease trade tensions.
While investors hope for key US jobs data later in the week, the ongoing US government shutdown is causing concern over delayed data and potential disruptions to public services.
Despite this, markets remain “largely unperturbed,” according to analysts.
In other markets, oil prices slightly increased after the OPEC+ alliance decided to pause production in the first quarter of 2026.
Gold prices held near $4,000, having fallen from a recent record high after China announced it would scrap a tax incentive on the commodity.
