At the opening of the afternoon session on the 21st, the Nikkei Average traded with limited upside momentum in the TSE market. SoftBank Group's gain narrowed, while major technology stocks showed mixed performance.
At the opening of the afternoon session on the 21st, the Nikkei Average was trading in the 64,700 range, up approximately ¥700 from the previous day. SoftBank Group's gain narrowed after the afternoon session began, and selling pressure returned to some AI- and semiconductor-related stocks.
Investor sentiment following moves in U.S. technology stocks was supporting the market overall, helped by firm trading in Nasdaq 100 futures and the Korea Composite Stock Price Index. Approximately ¥15.2 billion in basket trades was executed after the morning session, indicating increased market activity.
Among individual Nikkei Average constituents, Advantest and Tokyo Electron were higher, while Ibiden and Fujikura advanced. KDDI and Kao were lower, while Olympus and Shiseido declined. In response to these moves, the overall market direction is expected to require continued attention.