Global stock markets experienced significant movements on Monday, primarily driven by strong enthusiasm for the artificial intelligence (AI) boom and ongoing geopolitical developments concerning the Iran war. Japan and South Korea's benchmarks soared to fresh record highs during intraday trading, propelled by robust performance in technology-related stocks. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index advanced over 1.3%, breaching the 67,000 mark for the first time to close at 67,231.28. SoftBank Group, a major investor in AI, saw its shares climb more than 9% after reaching records the previous week. Similarly, South Korea's Kospi index jumped nearly 5%, hitting an all-time high of 8,874.16, with Samsung Electronics, the nation's largest company, gaining over 9%.

This impressive market performance in East Asia was underpinned by strong economic indicators and investor confidence in advanced technologies. Official data released on Monday showed South Korea's exports surged by 53% year-on-year in May, largely buoyed by global demand for semiconductors, a key component in AI development. Over the past month, the Nikkei 225 has risen more than 12%, while the Kospi has dramatically soared over 27%, reflecting a sustained rally in these markets.

Elsewhere in Asia, market trends were mixed. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index traded 0.9% higher at 25,408.96. In contrast, the Shanghai Composite index edged down 0.1% to 4,063.72, following reports over the weekend that China's factory activity in May had softened, showing signs of slowing new export demand. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 also saw a slight loss of 0.1% to 8,720.30, while Taiwan's Taiex climbed 1.4% and India's Sensex added 0.6%.

The ongoing Iran war, now three months in, continued to inject uncertainty into global markets and keep oil prices volatile. Investors eagerly awaited a decision on the extension of the Iran war ceasefire, as U.S.-Iran negotiations proceeded, including discussions about the potential reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for global oil and natural gas transit, has been largely closed due to a U.S. sea blockade on Iranian ports. U.S. President Donald Trump met with advisors on Friday for high-level talks regarding a tentative plan to extend the ceasefire by 60 days, though no decision had been made, and Iran stated that a deal was not yet finalized.

In response to these geopolitical tensions, oil prices saw significant gains. Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, rose 2.4% early Monday to $93.33 per barrel, a substantial increase from approximately $70 a barrel in late February before the war began. Benchmark U.S. crude was also up 2.8% at $89.76 a barrel, highlighting the market's sensitivity to supply concerns related to the Middle East conflict.

Meanwhile, Wall Street stocks also reached new records on Friday, propelled by major technology companies. The benchmark S&P 500 added 0.2% in its seventh consecutive gain, closing at 7,580.06. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.7% to 51,032.46, and the technology-heavy Nasdaq composite gained 0.2% to 26,972.62. Dell Technologies surged an impressive 32.8% after reporting stronger-than-expected results and raising its outlook, citing robust demand linked to AI. Microsoft rose over 5.4%, and Broadcom was up 4.7%, further illustrating the AI sector's impact on corporate earnings and market performance.

In currency markets, the U.S. dollar strengthened against the Japanese yen, rising to 159.48 yen from 159.25 yen. The euro, however, saw a slight decline against the dollar, trading at $1.1645, down from $1.1667.