Stocks entered the new year with artificial intelligence and chipmaking once again setting the tone for global markets.

Asian equities rose about 0.9 percent, led by internet and semiconductor shares, pushing a regional technology index to a record high. Samsung Electronics briefly touched an all-time peak, Bloomberg reported.

In China, Baidu jumped 7.5 percent after its chip subsidiary filed for an initial public offering, while Shanghai Biren Technology, an AI chip designer, doubled on its Hong Kong debut.

Precious metals also attracted renewed interest, with gold climbing 1.3 percent and silver surging 2.5 percent, extending their strongest annual performances since 1979.

Copper also advanced, reflecting persistent optimism about industrial demand linked to electrification and data-centre construction.

Despite a late-year wobble, global equities in 2025 delivered their strongest performance since 2019. Rising earnings expectations and faith in the commercial promise of artificial intelligence underpinned the gains. Still, risks remain.

Uncertainty over the future path of US monetary policy, combined with stretched valuations across much of the technology sector, leaves markets vulnerable to disappointment.

“AI is the dominant trading theme for Asian investors on the first trading day of 2026 and likely for the year ahead,” said Vey-Sern Ling of Union Bancaire Privée, according to Bloomberg.

Firms such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Samsung, he noted, function as the “picks and shovels” of the AI boom, enjoying unusually high earnings visibility thanks to aggressive capital-spending plans by US hyperscalers.

Artificial intelligence was among the defining market narratives of 2025. It helped equities rebound from an April selloff triggered by President Donald Trump’s imposition of century-high tariffs on US imports. Asian companies rushed to strike joint ventures with chipmakers such as Nvidia, encouraging investors to bet on a widening ecosystem of AI-related alliances.