By Wayne Cole
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Japanese shares led U.S. and European futures higher on Monday as AI hype juiced up the tech sector ahead of a week brimming with central bank meetings, major economic data and corporate earnings.
Chip stocks have been on a roll since Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) upgraded its profit outlook last week on booming demand for high-end chips used in AI applications.
That helped send the Nikkei up more than 1.5% to a fresh 34-year peak and brought gains for January to almost 9%.
Chipmakers, including Nvidia and Advanced MicroDevices, were among the beneficiaries of the AI-driven rally.
That should sharpen attention on results from Intel and IBM this week, along with Tesla, Netflix, Lockheed Martin and a host of others. [RESF/US]
Nasdaq futures extended their rally with gains of 0.6%, while S&P 500 futures firmed 0.2%. EUROSTOXX 50 futures jumped 0.8% and FTSE futures 0.3%.
Yet MSCI’s broadest index…
