Amman, January 5 (Petra) – Asian stock markets surged on Monday, the first trading day of the new year, driven by continued strong performance in technology and semiconductor stocks.

According to Bloomberg News, Japan's Nikkei 225 index jumped 2.7% to its highest level in two months, while the broader Topix index rose 2.1% to a record high of 3,486 points.

Shares of chipmakers Advantest and Tokyo Electron surged by more than 6%.

In South Korea, the Kospi index climbed nearly 3% to reach a record high of 4,434.27 points, supported by strong gains in Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, whose shares rose between 3 and 6%.

//Petra// AK