{"id":61117,"date":"2026-04-20T23:38:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T03:38:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/trump-declares-iran-nuclear-sites-obliterated-as-tech-stocks-hit-record-highs-nvidia-supplier-surges-60-in-debut\/61117\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T23:38:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T03:38:26","slug":"trump-declares-iran-nuclear-sites-obliterated-as-tech-stocks-hit-record-highs-nvidia-supplier-surges-60-in-debut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/trump-declares-iran-nuclear-sites-obliterated-as-tech-stocks-hit-record-highs-nvidia-supplier-surges-60-in-debut\/61117\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Declares Iran Nuclear Sites &#8216;Obliterated&#8217; as Tech Stocks Hit Record Highs; Nvidia Supplier Surges 60% in Debut"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>President <a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/live\/trump-stock-market\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Trump\">Trump<\/a> announced the &quot;total destruction&quot; of Iran\u2019s nuclear sites<\/strong> following Operation Midnight Hammer, warning that cleaning up the &quot;nuclear dust&quot; will be a long and difficult process.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Nvidia supplier Victory Giant Technology soared 60% in its Hong Kong debut<\/strong>, raising nearly $2.2 billion and signaling continued investor appetite for AI infrastructure.<\/li>\n<li><strong>South Korea\u2019s KOSPI index hit a record intraday high of 6,355.39<\/strong>, led by a massive rally in semiconductor giants Samsung Electronics (<a href=\"\/stock\/005930\">005930<\/a>) and SK Hynix (<a href=\"\/stock\/000660\">000660<\/a>).<\/li>\n<li><strong>New Zealand\u2019s core inflation cooled to 2.7% YoY in Q1<\/strong>, according to the RBNZ sectoral factor model, moving closer to the central bank&#39;s target midpoint.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Major financial and healthcare firms saw price target cuts<\/strong>, with RBC trimming Ameriprise Financial (<a href=\"\/stock\/AMP\">AMP<\/a>) to $560 and Leerink reducing Abbott (<a href=\"\/stock\/ABT\">ABT<\/a>) to $106.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Geopolitical Tensions Escalate Amid Nuclear Site Claims<\/h2>\n<p>U.S. President Donald <a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/live\/trump-stock-market\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Trump\">Trump<\/a> declared on Tuesday that <strong>Operation Midnight Hammer<\/strong> resulted in the &quot;total destruction&quot; of Iran\u2019s nuclear infrastructure. In a statement on Truth Social, Trump described the targeted locations as &quot;nuclear dust&quot; sites and cautioned that the extraction and cleanup of radioactive material would be a <strong>&quot;long and arduous process.&quot;<\/strong> The administration maintains that these strikes have effectively neutralized Iran&#39;s ability to reconstitute its nuclear program in the near term.<\/p>\n<p>Simultaneously, the Iranian Foreign Ministry has alleged that the U.S. Navy struck and seized an Iranian commercial vessel, the <em><strong>M\/V Touska<\/strong><\/em>, in the Gulf of Oman. Tehran has demanded the immediate release of the crew, labeling the incident &quot;armed piracy&quot; and a violation of international maritime law. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the seizure, stating the vessel had attempted to breach a standing naval blockade.<\/p>\n<h2>Tech Sector Momentum: Victory Giant and KOSPI Records<\/h2>\n<p>The artificial intelligence boom continues to drive equity markets, highlighted by the blockbuster debut of <strong>Victory Giant Technology<\/strong> (Stock Code: 2476) in Hong Kong. The company, a critical printed circuit board (PCB) supplier to Nvidia (<a href=\"\/stock\/NVDA\">NVDA<\/a>), saw its shares <strong>surge 60%<\/strong> during its first day of trading. The IPO raised approximately <strong>HK$17.5 billion ($2.2 billion)<\/strong>, making it one of the largest listings in the region this year.<\/p>\n<p>In Seoul, the <strong>KOSPI index reached a record intraday high<\/strong>, surpassing the 6,350 mark for the first time. The rally was fueled by exceptional performance in the semiconductor sector, with SK Hynix (<a href=\"\/stock\/000660\">000660<\/a>) climbing nearly 4% ahead of its quarterly earnings report. Investors appear to be looking past regional geopolitical risks, focusing instead on the structural demand for high-performance memory chips required for AI data centers.<\/p>\n<h2>Analyst Revisions and Financial Sector Outlook<\/h2>\n<p>Despite the broader market optimism, several high-profile companies faced downward revisions from analysts. <strong>RBC Capital<\/strong> trimmed its price target for Ameriprise Financial (<a href=\"\/stock\/AMP\">AMP<\/a>) to <strong>$560 from $605<\/strong>, though it maintained an &quot;Outperform&quot; rating. Similarly, Leerink Partners reduced its target for healthcare giant Abbott (<a href=\"\/stock\/ABT\">ABT<\/a>) to <strong>$106 from $119<\/strong>, reflecting a more cautious outlook on the medical device sector&#39;s near-term growth.<\/p>\n<p>In the UK, <strong>JPMorgan<\/strong> issued a series of price target reductions for wealth management and classifieds firms. The bank lowered its target for <strong>St. James\u2019s Place<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/STJ\">STJ<\/a>) to 1,686p and <strong>Quilter plc<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/QLT\">QLT<\/a>) to 206p. <strong>Baltic Classifieds Group<\/strong> (<a href=\"\/stock\/BCG\">BCG<\/a>) also saw its target reduced to 178p, as analysts recalibrate expectations for the European financial services landscape.<\/p>\n<h2>Macroeconomic and Regional Developments<\/h2>\n<p>New Zealand\u2019s <strong>Reserve Bank (RBNZ)<\/strong> reported that its sectoral factor model showed inflation at <strong>+2.7% YoY for the first quarter<\/strong>, a slight decrease from the previous 2.8%. This data suggests that inflationary pressures are stabilizing within the bank&#39;s 1% to 3% target range, potentially providing room for more accommodative monetary policy later this year.<\/p>\n<p>In other regional news, <strong>Fitch Ratings<\/strong> noted that increased foreign investment could significantly improve the credit profiles of India\u2019s financial institutions by strengthening capital buffers. Meanwhile, a <strong>magnitude 6.0 earthquake<\/strong> was reported off the coast of Timor Island in Indonesia; however, local geophysics agencies confirmed there is <strong>no threat of a tsunami<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways President Trump announced the &quot;total destruction&quot; of Iran\u2019s nuclear sites following Operation Midnight Hammer, warning that cleaning up 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