The Nikkei 225 Index Closes 0.50% Higher

Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index advanced 0.53% to close at 61,142 on Friday, bringing its weekly gain to 6.46% and marking its strongest weekly performance since June. The rally was supported by a recovery in technology stocks following an AI-driven selloff the previous week, when a Democratic sweep in the US midterm elections raised concerns over potentially stricter AI regulations. Meanwhile, investors continued to assess the broader implications of Nvidia’s leadership transition for the artificial intelligence sector after CEO Jensen Huang stepped down following reports of extramarital affairs, with CFO Colette Kress taking over as interim CEO. Market attention also turned to Anthropic’s highly anticipated IPO next week, which has reportedly attracted orders equivalent to approximately six times the shares available, underscoring strong investor demand for the AI company. Among the notable performers on Friday were Advantest (2.1%), Tokyo Electron (1.7%) and Recruit Holdings (5.1%).

The Nikkei 225 Index gained 306 points or 0.50 percent on Friday to close at 61126 points. Gains were led by Amada Holdings (8.48%), Trend Micro (8.33%) and Sapporo (8.28%). Biggest losers were Japan Steel Works (-9.05%), Kawasaki (-9.05%) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (-7.67%).

The Nikkei 225 Index climbed 1.5% to above 61,700 on Friday, posting gains in four of the past five sessions and putting the index up more than 7% for the week, its strongest weekly performance since June. Japanese equities recovered from Thursday’s losses as investors reassessed the broader implications of Nvidia’s leadership changes for the artificial intelligence sector. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang stepped down following reports of extramarital affairs, with CFO Colette Kress assuming the role of interim CEO. Meanwhile, market participants are anticipating Anthropic’s highly awaited IPO next week, which has attracted orders equivalent to roughly six times the shares available, highlighting strong investor demand for the AI company. Technology and AI-related stocks led the market rebound, including Kioxia Holdings (2.8%), Advantest (6.4%), Tokyo Electron (2.9%), Lasertec (2.9%) and Ibiden Co (2.5%).