WS #13108

The dominant theme is a sharp, record-breaking rebound in Asian tech and semiconductor equities, driven by strong Microsoft and Amazon earnings that eased AI-spending fears. South Korea's Kospi surged as much as 17% intraday, with Samsung and SK Hynix jumping over 20%, while the Nikkei gained over 4%. This is a direct counter-signal to the prior two-week AI selloff, which had seen the Kospi fall nearly 40% from its June peak. The rebound is corroborated by multiple sources (Coindesk, Korea Times, Business Times, GDELT) and is being fueled by renewed bets on AI infrastructure spending. However, Apple's earnings, while beating on revenue and EPS, disappointed on guidance due to memory chip supply constraints, causing its stock to fall ~6% after hours. This creates a divergence within the Mag7: Microsoft and Amazon are bullish, Apple is bearish. Additionally, the Bank of Japan held rates at 1.0% but signaled a hawkish tilt, warning of inflation risks and potential future hikes, which weakened the yen. Geopolitically, the US-Iran conflict is escalating, with Iran launching drone strikes on US bases in Kuwait, but oil prices are falling (~3% on Brent) as Hormuz traffic continues, providing a counter-signal to oil supply fears. The Gaza ceasefire deal announced by Trump is a potential de-escalation but faces hurdles. Overall, the AI/tech rebound narrative is ESCALATING, but Apple's supply-chain warning and BOJ hawkishness introduce cross-currents.