Asian stocks rise led by Nikkei and Kospi tech rally; RBNZ surprises with rate hold ahead of Fed decision

Asian equities advanced, with Japan's Nikkei and South Korea's Kospi leading gains on a rally in technology shares, while the Reserve Bank of New Zealand unexpectedly held its policy rate instead of moving as some participants had anticipated. The tech-led gains point to risk appetite rebounding in regional markets, with chipmakers and hardware names typically most sensitive to global semiconductor demand and US technology sentiment, which transmits to the Nasdaq 100 (NDX) through correlated supply chains and earnings expectations. The RBNZ hold widens the policy divergence debate, as a pause from a central bank that had been seen as possibly tightening can compress New Zealand dollar yield advantages and weigh on the NZD against higher-yielding peers. The US dollar (USD) is exposed to the same dynamic, as traders weigh whether the RBNZ's signal and the upcoming Federal Reserve decision will shift the expected path of global rate differentials. The key catalyst to watch is the Fed's policy statement and press conference, where any guidance on the timing of rate cuts will determine whether the dollar and Nasdaq mom

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