Asian shares end Thursday with modest gains

SEOUL, November 13 (AJP) - Major Asian markets in South Korea, Japan, and China closed modestly higher on Thursday, buoyed by relief over the normalization of U.S. government operations after the longest shutdown in American history.

South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI added 0.5 percent to close at 4,170.63, while the secondary KOSDAQ advanced 1.3 percent to 918.37.

The partial U.S. government shutdown ended late Wednesday after 43 days, as the House passed a temporary spending bill funding operations through January 30. President Donald Trump signed the measure into law, formally restoring federal functions.

Early gains in Samsung Electronics and SK hynix faded by the close. Samsung slipped 0.3 percent to 102,800 won ($70), while SK hynix declined 0.8 percent to 612,000 won. Entertainment agency HYBE, which drew renewed attention after NewJeans returned to its label, jumped 4.5 percent to 304,000 won.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.4 percent to finish at 51,281.83, supported by gains in automakers. Toyota climbed 0.3 percent to 3,198 yen ($20), Honda rose 1.3 percent to 1,565 yen, and Nissan gained 2.8 percent to 374 yen. Fast Retailing dropped 1.6 percent to 57,020 yen, while SoftBank Group tumbled 3.4 percent to 21,170 yen following reports that the company sold its remaining stake in Nvidia.

The New York Times reported that Nvidia’s $100 billion investment in OpenAI — and OpenAI’s large-scale purchases of Nvidia processors — have raised concerns about circular transactions that could inflate bubble risks.

In China, the Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.7 percent to close at 4,029.50.

Lee Jung-woo cannes2030@ajupress.com