The US-Iran agreement reignites the AI theme, and SoftBank soared 12%, leading the way for Asian technology stocks.

On Monday, Asian tech stocks surged significantly as investors were cheered by news of a peace agreement between Iran and the United States. SoftBank, a Japanese tech investment company, saw its stock price rise by over 12%, making it the top performer among major tech stocks in Asia. Semiconductor equipment suppliers Tokyo Electronics and Advantest also rose by 9.19% and 7.69% respectively. Japan's newcomer "stock king" Kamen Rider surged more than 11%. Storage chip giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, key components of the Korean Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), saw their stock prices rise by 4.65% and 6.42% respectively. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company rose by 2.16% while Foxconn Precision's stock price increased by 2.5%. SoftBank, Samsung Electronics, and SK Hynix have seen significant rises in their stock prices in recent weeks. Last month, both Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix surpassed a market value of over $1 trillion, with SoftBank also briefly becoming Japan's most valuable company. Shares of SoftBank have risen by over 60% year-to-date. Analysts point out that the core driver is the market's reconsideration of SoftBank's significant exposure in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). SoftBank is not only one of the largest external shareholders of ChatGPT developer OpenAI, with cumulative investments exceeding $60 billion, but also deeply involved in the construction of AI computing infrastructure through its chip design company Arm Holdings. With the peace agreement between the US and Iran, the market expects the end of Middle East conflicts and a rise in risk appetite. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shabaz Sharif announced on Sunday that the US and Iran have reached a peace agreement. Both sides announced an immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon. The official signing ceremony will take place in Switzerland on June 19. Pakistan has maintained a mediator role between the two countries. US President Donald Trump stated on social media that the US-Iran agreement is "now done" and he has "authorized" the Strait of Hormuz to be "opened," as well as the immediate lifting of relevant naval blockades by the US Navy. The Strait of Hormuz will be "reopened" on the same day as the formal signing of the agreement on June 19. Trump said, "Ships of the world, unleash your engines. Let the oil flow!" Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Gharibabadi confirmed that the final text of the Iran-US memorandum of understanding has been finalized, and the official signing ceremony of the "Islamabad Memorandum" will be held in Switzerland on June 19. Ecaterina Bigos, Chief Investment Officer of Asia Core Investments at Paris-based bank asset management firm BNP Paribas, stated that a broader range of tech sectors have been performing quite well. She said on Monday, "Don't forget that investors are trying to rebalance certain parts of their portfolios but they still want to participate in the race for artificial intelligence." On Monday, buoyed by the news of the US-Iran agreement, Asian stocks overall rose. South Korea's KOSPI index rose by 4.8%, and Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose by 4.78%. Furthermore, European and American stock futures all rose, with Dow futures up by 0.96%, S&P 500 futures up by 1.28%, and Nasdaq futures up by 1.94%. European Stoxx 50 futures rose by 1.58%.