Across Asian markets, a familiar human impulse reasserted itself: the belief that transformative technology justifies extraordinary investment. South Korean chipmakers Samsung and SK Hynix surged as global capital continued its pilgrimage toward artificial intelligence infrastructure, even as Alphabet's staggering $205 billion spending commitment reminded investors that faith in a technology and proof of its returns are not the same thing. Meanwhile, oil climbed toward $96.50 a barrel as Iran-US tensions in the Red Sea reintroduced the oldest of market anxieties — that geopolitical instability