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HONG KONG — <\/span>Stock markets in Japan and South Korea hit fresh record highs Monday on enthusiasm over the artificial intelligence boom and as investors await a decision on the Iran war<\/a> ceasefire extension.<\/p>\n Oil prices gained more than 2% as U.S.-Iran negotiations continued, including on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz<\/a>, a key waterway for global oil and natural gas transit.<\/p>\n U.S. futures edged higher.<\/p>\n Asian shares mostly advanced, and Japan\u2019s and South Korea\u2019s benchmarks hit records during intraday trading, led by technology-related stocks, as investors continued to see growth in AI<\/a> and other advanced technologies.<\/p>\n Tokyo\u2019s Nikkei 225 gained more than 1.3% and crossed the 67,000 mark for the first time, reaching 67,231.28. Shares of SoftBank Group<\/a>, the investment company that focuses heavily on AI, rose more than 9% after hitting records last week.<\/p>\n In South Korea, the Kospi index jumped nearly 5% and hit an all-time high of 8,874.16. Samsung Electronics, its biggest company, was up more than 9%. Official data on Monday showed that South Korea\u2019s exports surged 53% year-on-year in May, buoyed by global demand for semiconductors.<\/p>\n The Nikkei 225 was up more than 12% over the past month, while the Kospi soared over 27% during the same period.<\/p>\n Hong Kong\u2019s Hang Seng was trading 0.9% higher at 25,408.96. The Shanghai Composite index edged down 0.1% to 4,063.72, after China reported over the weekend<\/a> that factory activity in May softened with signs of slowing new exports demand.<\/p>\n Australia\u2019s S&P\/ASX 200 lost 0.1% at 8,720.30,.<\/p>\n Taiwan\u2019s Taiex climbed 1.4%, while India’s Sensex added 0.6%.<\/p>\n Three months after the Iran war began, uncertainties over a permanent end to the war are still driving market movements and keeping oil prices swinging<\/a>, even as optimism on robust AI demand and strong corporate earnings have fueled a stock market rally including on Wall Street.<\/p>\n On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump met with advisers in high-level talks<\/a> but had not decided yet on a tentative plan to extend the Iran war ceasefire by 60 days<\/a>, while Iran had said a deal was not finalized. The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz was also still in limbo. The strait has been largely closed and the U.S. has imposed a sea blockade on Iranian ports<\/a>.<\/p>\n Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose 2.4% early Monday to $93.33 per barrel. It was approximately $70 a barrel in late February, before the start of the war. <\/p>\n Benchmark U.S. crude was 2.8% higher at $89.76 a barrel.<\/p>\n