(Dec 31): Emerging Asian equities traded mixed on the last day of 2025 on Wednesday but were set for their strongest annual gains in years, buoyed by strong fundamentals and rising capital flows into growth markets, amplified by an AI-driven investment boom. Taiwan's stock market was another major beneficiary of the global AI phenomenon and its related flows, soaring 26% in 2025, its third consecutive year of robust growth. "The artificial intelligence investment cycle is still the dominant narrative," Anthony Doyle, chief investment strategist at Pinnacle Investment Management in Sydney, wrote in a note. The Thai baht was set to close 2025 around 9% stronger against the US dollar, driven by online gold trading as bullion soared. On the final trading day of 2025, most currencies were trading mixed: the rupiah ticked higher to a 10-session peak, while the Thai baht hovered around a one-week low.

Source: The Edge Markets December 31, 2025 07:17 UTC