The Nikkei Average closed the morning session at ¥68,889.01 before briefly moving above ¥69,500 in the afternoon, as buying broadened through selective purchases against the backdrop of gains in US stocks.
The Nikkei Average extended its gains, with the morning session closing ¥580.42 higher at ¥68,889.01. Estimated trading volume was 1.17868 billion shares. Buying continued during the day, supported by positive factors following developments in the US market.
The Nikkei Average opened trading on the 14th at ¥68,811.17, up ¥502.58. Concerns about further interest-rate hikes receded against the backdrop of falling crude oil prices and the US PPI results, while the market continued to move amid lower long-term interest rates. Among individual stocks, Advantest, SoftBank Group, Kioxia Holdings, Sony Group, Konami Group, Nintendo, Bandai Namco Holdings, BayCurrent, KDDI, Kyocera, Suzuki, Terumo, Toyota Tsusho and Sumitomo Electric rose.
Meanwhile, Ibiden, Fast Retailing, Recruit Holdings, Chugai Pharmaceutical, Lasertec, Fujikura, Otsuka Holdings, Mitsui Isetan Holdings, Ajinomoto, Sumitomo Metal Mining, Ryohin Keikaku, FANUC, Nissan Chemical and Credit Saison fell. By sector, Other Products, Marine Transportation, Information and Communications were firm, while Electricity and Gas, Services and Pharmaceuticals were soft.
In the afternoon session, whether the Nikkei Average tests ¥69,000 is expected to be the focus. Buying interest is expected to center on game-related stocks such as Nexon, Nintendo and Sony Group, and inflows into stocks with strong earnings are expected to support the market as the earnings announcement season draws to a close. At the same time, profit-taking selling is likely to emerge in stocks that surged the previous day, and the market may encounter periods of limited upside.