Asian shares climb after US stocks rise at the start of a holiday-shortened week

Market Overview - Asian shares showed mostly positive movement, influenced by gains on Wall Street, indicating a relatively calm holiday trading week [1] - U.S. futures remained nearly unchanged, suggesting stability in the market outlook [1] Commodity Prices - Gold prices reached a new record, rising 1.1% to $4,519.50, while silver increased by 1.5%, reflecting ongoing gains throughout the year [1] Currency Exchange Rates - The dollar traded at 156.01 yen, down from 157.04 yen, while the euro rose to $1.1782 from $1.1762, indicating fluctuations in currency values [2] Regional Market Performance - Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 0.1% to 25,774.14, while the Shanghai Composite index edged up 0.1% to 3,919.98 [2] - South Korea's Kospi increased by 0.3% to 4,117.32, and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 jumped 1.1% to 8,795.70 [2] - Taiwan's Taiex advanced by 0.6%, while India's Sensex remained nearly unchanged [2] Economic Reports - Upcoming economic reports include the first estimate of U.S. GDP for Q3 and weekly jobless claims data, which are expected to provide insights into the U.S. economy [3][4] U.S. Market Performance - On Monday, the S&P 500 rose by 0.6%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite increased by 0.5% [5] - The Russell 2000 index outperformed other major indexes with a 1.2% gain, indicating strong performance among smaller companies [5] Technology Sector - Technology companies, particularly those focused on artificial intelligence, have been significant drivers of market fluctuations, with their performance likely influencing the overall market trend for December [6] - Uber and Lyft saw stock increases of 2.5% and 2.7%, respectively, following announcements of plans to introduce robotaxi services in London next year [6] Corporate Actions - Paramount Skydance's stock rose by 4.3% after enhancing its hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, supported by a substantial financial guarantee from Larry Ellison [7]