Asian shares rose on Thursday, driven by gains in the technology sector, particularly in Japan and South Korea, following positive earnings reports from U.S. companies like Qualcomm and Micron Technology. Meanwhile, oil prices decreased by over $1, nearing levels seen before the onset of the war with Iran. Qualcomm's stock experienced a 12% increase in after-hours trading after announcing a raise in its earnings forecast.

Asian shares experienced mixed trading on June 23, 2026, as caution prevailed due to ongoing uncertainty regarding the war in Iran. Japan's Nikkei 225 index fell by 0.9% to 71,681.29, reflecting a cooling off after a period of strong market performance. Neil Newman, Managing Director at Astris Advisory Japan, noted that the market had previously risen by about 12.5% over eight days before this decline.

According to the JSE, South Africa's markets have shown resilience in the face of significant global market volatility. Despite the challenging conditions affecting markets worldwide, the JSE reports that South Africa's financial landscape remains stable.

SpaceX shares fell below their debut price, resulting in a loss of $600 billion in value, before experiencing a recovery of 2.4 percent. This fluctuation occurred amid broader turbulence in the tech market, according to Al Jazeera.

Memory-chip maker SK Hynix has surpassed Samsung to become South Korea's most valuable listed company, ending Samsung's 26-year dominance in this position, according to TechCentral.

Spot gold prices decreased by 0.5%, reaching $3,980.63 an ounce as of 10:50 a.m. in Singapore. This decline is attributed to a stronger U.S. dollar and the outlook on interest rates, which are impacting gold's value in the market.