China Sci-Tech Innovation 50 Index rose more than 3%; constituent Huahong Hongli advanced over 6% and Cambricon gained over 5%.

Platinum most-active futures are up more than 5% at 425 yuan/gram; palladium most-active futures are up more than 5% at 319.45 yuan/gram.

SK Hynix shares rallied after US chip stocks rose and speculation the company may soon unveil a share buyback and other shareholder-return measures. As a key supplier of high-bandwidth memory for NVIDIA, SK Hynix jumped as much as 7.9% in Seoul on Wednesday morning, outpacing Samsung Electronics (+~6%). Market attention centered on a 25-trading-day quiet period after the company’s ADR issuance that expired on Aug. 4; market participants say the expiry removes a key barrier to disclosing shareholder-return plans. Independent analyst Douglas Kim said SK Hynix is likely to announce a major shareholder-return package soon, potentially including buybacks, share cancellations and a special dividend. Brokers including William Blair initiated ADR coverage overnight with Buy ratings.