On Wednesday, August 16, Asian stock markets opened higher, with the MSCI Asia Pacific Index rising by 1%. Overnight, all three major U.S. stock indexes rose, with the S&P 500 Index rising for the sixth consecutive session. 【Update as of 9:00】 The Taiwan Stock Exchange Weighted Index rose by 1% to 22,114.72 points. The Straits Times Index in Singapore expanded its gains to 1%. The Nikkei 225 Index surged by over 2.42% to 37,609.96, while the TOPIX Index rose by 1.97% to 2,651.97. 【Update as of 8:40】 Nikkei 225 Surges Over 2.6%, Leading Asian Stock Markets The Nikkei 225 Index surged by over 2.6% to 37,710.84, while the TOPIX Index rose by 2.32% to 2,660.98. The Japanese Yen traded sideways, with the USD/JPY pair down by 0.2% at 149. Asian Markets Open Higher The KOSPI in Seoul, South Korea, rose by 2% to 2,696.17, reclaiming all lost ground since the decline on August 5. The Australian stock index S&P/ASX 200 rose by 1.31% to 7,968.70 points. Oil Prices Decline, Gold Volatile Oil prices fell on Friday, with WTI crude down by 0.23% and Brent crude down by 0.17%. Spot gold remained volatile, rising by 0.1%.