The Nikkei 225 Index Closes 3.31% Higher

The Nikkei 225 Index jumped 3.3% to close at 68,957 on Thursday, rising for a second consecutive session to its highest level in six weeks as technology and artificial intelligence-related stocks rallied following Micron Technology’s strong outlook. The US memory chipmaker issued an upbeat revenue forecast for the current quarter, signaling continued demand for AI memory chips. Japanese chip and AI-related shares outperformed amid the country’s role in the global AI buildout, with notable gains from Kioxia (5.6%), Advantest (9.8%), Taiyo Yuden (8.3%), Murata Manufacturing (8.4%) and Lasertec (11.1%). Meanwhile, Nidec plunged 10.8% after the motor maker’s auditor declined to issue an opinion on its long-awaited financial statements. Elsewhere, central bank data showed manufacturing sentiment improved in the third quarter to its highest level in more than eight years, while overall business conditions reached their most favorable levels in decades.

The Nikkei 225 Index went up by 2208 points or 3.31 percent on Thursday to close at 68962 points. The rise was led by Lasertec Corp (9.09%), Advantest (8.87%) and Taiyo Yuden (8.54%).

The Nikkei 225 Index jumped 2.4% to above 68,000 on Thursday, advancing for a second straight session to its highest level in six weeks, as technology and artificial intelligence-related stocks led the gains. The rally came after Micron Technology issued an upbeat outlook, while Google began rolling out Gemini 4 Argon, its flagship AI model. A softer-than-expected US PCE inflation reading also prompted traders to reduce bets on a Federal Reserve rate hike this month, although elevated oil prices and bond yields continued to cloud the outlook. In Japan, central bank data showed manufacturing sentiment improved in the third quarter to its highest level in more than eight years. Notable gainers included Kioxia Holdings (4.1%), Advantest (4.7%), SoftBank Group (2.5%), Taiyo Yuden (2.5%) and Murata Manufacturing (4.5%).