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

Asian equities advanced in early trading, 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 rather than cutting, ahead of the Federal Reserve's upcoming decision. The RBNZ hold reprices the rate-differential outlook, reducing the expected pace of monetary easing in New Zealand relative to peers and supporting the New Zealand dollar against weaker-yielding currencies. Chip and hardware names drive the Kospi and Nikkei rally, so these indices carry the greatest sensitivity to global semiconductor sentiment and to the Nasdaq 100 (NDX), where mega-cap technology weights transmit similar risk appetite. The U.S. dollar is most exposed to the Fed meeting, since any signal of a slower easing path would strengthen USD against regional currencies and could cap the Asian tech rebound. Traders should watch the Fed's rate decision and accompanying press conference for guidance on the timing of cuts, alongside the next U.S. CPI print, which will shape the inflation path that

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