Nikkei Gains as Chip Stocks Rebound
2026-07-30 06:52
By
Jam Kaimo Samonte
1 min. read
The Nikkei 225 Index climbed 0.71% to close at 61,867 on Thursday, snapping a two-session losing streak as semiconductor shares rallied after Advantest issued a stronger-than-expected profit outlook.
Shares of the chip-testing equipment maker jumped more than 10% after lifting its annual operating profit forecast by 35%, supported by robust demand driven by artificial intelligence spending.
The rally spread across other technology and AI-related companies, including Kioxia Holdings (2.7%), Tokyo Electron (4.3%), Murata Manufacturing (2.3%), Ibiden Co (1.2%), and Hitachi (6.1%).
Meanwhile, SoftBank Group declined 2.7% after its subsidiary Arm Holdings dropped nearly 6% in after-hours trading on a sales forecast that fell short of investor expectations.
Financial and consumer-related stocks also lagged the broader market, with losses from Mitsubishi UFJ (-3.5%), Toyota Motor (-2.7%), and Fast Retailing (-2.5%).