Asia’s Stock Benchmark Nears a Record Close as Rally Extends

Asia’s equity benchmark flirted with a record close, extending a rally fueled by easing uncertainties around US tariffs, a strong rebound in Chinese shares and optimism that the Federal Reserve may cut rates as early as this week.

The MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose as much as 0.2% to 220.71, with technology shares like Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Samsung Electronics Co. the top contributors to gains. The gauge’s all-time closing high was 220.64, reached in February 2021. Benchmarks in Vietnam, mainland China and South Korea have been among the region’s top performers over the past three months.

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