Japanese Shares Gain for Second Session

The Nikkei 225 Index climbed 1.5% to above 68,700, while the broader Topix Index advanced 0.8% to 4,052 on Friday, with Japanese shares rising for the second straight session and tracking gains on Wall Street overnight as a rally in semiconductor stocks lifted investor sentiment. Easing oil prices also supported the market by helping curb inflation concerns and reducing pressure on Japan’s import-dependent economy. Meanwhile, data showed Japan’s producer prices accelerated to their fastest pace in more than three years, reflecting persistent cost pressures stemming from the Middle East conflict. Technology stocks led the advance, with strong gains from Kioxia Holdings (5.4%), SoftBank Group (7.9%), Murata Manufacturing (5.5%), Tokyo Electron (2.2%), and Advantest (3.3%).

The Nikkei 225 Index went up by 1126 points or 1.68 percent on Thursday to close at 67945 points. The rise was led by Advantest (6.06%), Tokyo Electron (5.33%) and Screen Holdings (5.15%).

The Nikkei 225 Index jumped 1.38% to close at 67,744 while the broader Topix Index gained 0.35% to 4,020 on Thursday, as Japanese equities snapped a two-day losing streak on the back of a rebound in technology stocks. Domestic shares also took cues from gains in US chipmakers and memory-related stocks overnight. Market sentiment was further supported by reports that South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix’s US listing was more than seven times oversubscribed, highlighting strong investor demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure. Meanwhile, US private equity firm Bain Capital sold its entire stake in Japanese flash memory producer Kioxia Holdings, although the company’s shares surged more than 8% during the session. Among other major technology gainers, Murata Manufacturing climbed 5%, Advantest advanced 5.9%, Tokyo Electron rose 5.5%, and Fujikura gained 2.4%.