The Nikkei 225 began trading on the 18th at ¥545.30, or 545.30 points, above the previous day's close at ¥64,681.55, rising for a third consecutive session. Buying led the market on a rebound in U.S. equities, lower oil prices and persistently low long-term interest rates.
Buying led the Tokyo market following a rebound in U.S. equities. The Nikkei 225 opened at ¥64,681.55, up ¥545.30 from the previous day, and the market was seen as likely to continue widening its gains. The rise in the Dow and Nasdaq was accompanied by stable crude oil futures and lower long-term U.S. Treasury yields, which supported the market. Buying was restrained, however, amid expectations surrounding the Bank of Japan's policy meeting and the mood ahead of the long weekend.
By sector, nonferrous metals, electric appliances and machinery ranked among the top gainers, while food, fisheries and retail stocks were among the leading decliners. Among the TSE Prime stocks with the highest trading value, レーザーテック and 日東紡 rose, while アドバンテスト, マイクロニクス and 京セラ also advanced. 任天堂, リクルートHD, 伊藤忠, IHI, ソニーG, KDDI and ファーストリテイ, among others, declined.
Looking ahead, there was speculation that factors including next week's U.S.-China summit could discourage buying. The August national consumer price index rose 1.7% year on year on a core basis excluding fresh food, below the median market forecast of 1.8%. It was also reported that akippa, ベルテックス and テクノクラフト had newly listed on the TSE Standard market, while かがやきホールディングス had newly listed on the Nagoya Stock Exchange's Next market.