Asian stocks today, July 23 -- Asian markets traded higher on Thursday, July 23, driven by gains in regional semiconductor stocks amid optimism that they would benefit from strong artificial intelligence (AI) spending. Meanwhile, oil prices extended their recent rally.

Japan's Nikkei 225 advanced more than 1.10%, while the broader TOPIX index gained nearly 1%.

The MSCI Asia Pacific Index climbed 0.8%, led by South Korea's Kospi, which surged over 4% on expectations of robust AI-related investment. The small-cap Kosdaq index also rose 1.42%.

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix climbed over 4% each, as investors viewed the South Korean chipmakers among the biggest beneficiaries of the global artificial intelligence (AI) boom.

Australia's b...