The Nikkei 225 rebounded sharply as investors bought back US semiconductor-related stocks. It at times rose above its morning-session high, with notable gains in AI- and semiconductor-related stocks.
The Nikkei 225 posted its first major rebound in 8 days, closing at ¥65,324.29, with estimated trading volume of approximately 23.7 billion shares. Buying back US semiconductor-related stocks and moves in AI-related stocks lifted the market, which rose to around ¥65,688.71 near the end of the morning session. Gains in South Korea's KOSPI also helped improve investor sentiment, although some market participants wanted to assess the results of US and Japanese AI-related companies from next week onward.
On the TSE Prime Market, the number of advancing issues approached 1,300, with more than 80% of all issues rising. Among individual stocks, Tokyo Electron, SoftBank Group, Ibiden and BayCurrent rose, while Fast Retailing, Fujikura, Ryohin Keikaku and Olympus fell.
Following the buying of technology stocks in the US market on the 15th after remarks by NVIDIA's CEO, gains in AI-related stocks increased in Japan as well. An emergency earthquake alert was issued during the afternoon session but later withdrawn, and funds also flowed into cybersecurity-related stocks.
The market is expected to remain focused on the details of earnings from AI-related companies in Japan and the US, while assessing the balance between capital investment trends and earnings growth. Meta Platforms' results on the 21st are also expected to attract attention.