Asian stocks rise on Tuesday, July 21, as Nikkei gains 2.2% and chipmakers rebound

Asia-Pacific stock markets rose on Tuesday, July 21, gaining for the first time in four days. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index climbed 1.7 percent, benchmark equity gauges in South Korea and Taiwan each rose more than 2.5 percent, and Japan's Nikkei 225 added 2.2 percent as trading resumed after a Monday holiday.

The advance was led mainly by chipmakers, with Samsung Electronics and TSMC among the biggest contributors, while a pullback in oil prices helped improve risk appetite. The gains followed last week's slump, when the Nikkei fell about 6.4 percent on Friday. Investors are now awaiting earnings from technology megacaps this week for signs of whether the AI-driven rally can continue. The direction of Asian markets follows global risk sentiment and oil prices, and also feeds into expectations in Iran's market.