Asian Equities Shrug Off U.S. Intervention in Venezuela

By Sherry Qin

Gains in tech and defense stocks sent Asian stocks broadly higher, as investors shrugged off fresh geopolitical tensions following President Trump's Venezuela incursion.

South Korea's Kospi rallied 3.4% to end at a record high 4457.52. Japan's Nikkei Stock Average rose 3% to end at a two-month high of 51832.80. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index ended flat, while China's benchmark Shanghai Composite Index climbed 1.4%.

Investors have largely remained calm following the U.S.'s ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro over the weekend, as geopolitics have become the norm, Saxo Markets Chief Investment Strategist Charu Chanana said.

"Equities typically fade geopolitical headlines when there's no immediate hit to global demand, supply chains, or financial conditions," she said.

Defense stocks led gains in South Korea and Japan, as the U.S.'s military operation in Venezuela renewed expectations for greater defense spending.

Shares in Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, a top Japanese defense contractor that makes a wide range of military equipment, surged 8.4%. In South Korea, shares of aircraft-engine and howitzer maker Hanwha Aerospace rose 7%, while those of fighter-jet manufacturer Korea Aerospace Industries gained 6.5%.

Separately, booming artificial-intelligence demand continued to power chip stocks. Memory-chip maker Samsung Electronics surged 7.5%, while Tokyo Electron ended 7.6% higher. Shares of TSMC, the world's largest contract chip maker, increased 5.4%.

"The strong performance of AI-related stocks has continued over the past few weeks, likely reflecting high expectations for massive investment in AI through 2026, which will continue to drive semiconductor stock performance," said Morningstar's director of equity research Kazunori Ito.

However, Chinese energy stocks slipped as the U.S.'s intervention raised concerns about China's access to Venezuelan oil. Hong Kong-listed shares of Cnooc and Sinopec shed 3.3% and 1.9%, respectively. PetroChina fell 3.5%.

Write to Sherry Qin at sherry.qin@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 05, 2026 04:31 ET (09:31 GMT)