Tokyo, Feb 3 (AP) Asian shares surged on Tuesday, led by a 5 per cent jump in South Korea's benchmark and a 3 per cent rally in Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index as investors bought tech-related shares.

Markets are awaiting earnings reports from major companies to gauge the impact of various trends, including US President Donald Trump's tariffs and possible curbs on rare earths exports from China.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 climbed 3.2 per cent to 54,346.33. Shares in equipment maker Disco Corp. jumped 6 per cent while those in testing equipment maker Advantest gained 5.6 per cent.

In South Korea, the Kospi gained 5 per cent to 5,197.86, rebounding to near its record after a rout on Monday that led to automatic brief suspensions of trading. Investors appeared to regain confidence after the latest scare over a possible bubble in artificial intelligence as shares in Samsung Electronics Co. soared 6.9 per cent while those in chip maker SK Hynix rocketed up 7.5 per cent.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng was nearly flat at 26,786.47, while the Shanghai Composite added 0.4 per cent to 4,031.07.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 edged up 1.2 per cent to 8,880.20 ahead of an interest rate decision by the central bank.

Investors are awaiting more earnings reports from major companies to gauge the impact of various trends, including US President Donald Trump's tariffs and possible curbs on rare earths exports from China.

On Monday, US share prices rose while gold and silver prices sank further following their latest wild moves. The S&P 500 added 0.5 per cent to 6,976.44, snapping a three-day losing streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.1 per cent to 49,407.66, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.6 per cent to 23,592.11.

Sandisk leapt 15.4 per cent to lead the S&P 500. The data-storage company added to its 6.9 per cent gain from Friday, after it reported stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It credited demand created by the artificial-intelligence boom, among other things. That helped offset a 2.9 per cent drop for Nvidia, whose chips are powering much of the world's move into AI technology.

The Walt Disney Co. fell 7.4 per cent even though the entertainment giant reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It warned of challenges, such as international visitors declining at its US theme parks.

Shares in software company Palantir Technologies soared 7 per cent in after-hours trading after it reported its revenue in the last quarter climbed 70 per cent.

The centre of action in financial markets was again precious metals, where prices have yoyoed after stellar gains. Gold's price has roughly doubled in just 12 months.

Gold gained 3.4 per cent on Tuesday, while silver's price rebounded by 7.5 per cent.

Gold and silver prices have surged as investors search for safer things to own at a time of uncertainty over the status of the Federal Reserve, which may be set to become less independent, a US stock market that critics say is expensive, threats of tariffs and heavy debt loads for governments worldwide.

Their prices cratered on Friday, including a 31.4 per cent plunge for silver. Some on Wall Street saw it as a result of President Donald Trump's nomination of Kevin Warsh as the next chair of the Fed.

The Fed's chair has a big influence on the economy and markets worldwide by helping to dictate where the US central bank moves interest rates. That affects prices for all kinds of investments, as the Fed tries to keep the US job market humming without letting inflation get out of control.

In other dealings early Tuesday, benchmark US crude fell 14 cents to USD 62.00 a barrel. Brent crude shed 22 cents to USD 66.08 a barrel.

The US dollar declined to 155.42 Japanese yen from 155.61 yen. The euro cost USD 1.1812, up from USD 1.1791. (AP) SKS SKS

Asian shares rebounded sharply as tech rallies, trade risks, and commodity swings renewed market momentum and investor caution. Asian equity markets rebounded sharply with outsized gains in Korea and Japan led by tech-related stocks, following brief trading halts and investor recovery from a prior rout. The rally was driven by semiconductor and equipment firms and occurred amid anticipation of corporate earnings, trade-policy risks such as tariffs and rare-earth export curbs, and cross-border sentiment from US equity and commodity moves. Precious metals and currencies showed heightened volatility tied to concerns about Federal Reserve policy and safe-haven demand.