The Nikkei 225 rebounded after opening, with buybacks spreading in the afternoon session and pushing the index to a high-of-day close. The previous day’s US market performance, concerns over AI development and rising long-term interest rates were cited as background factors.
US stocks fell for a second straight session the previous day, with rising crude oil prices and concerns over a slowdown in AI development serving as catalysts for selling. In Japan on the 16th, the Nikkei 225 rebounded and briefly moved into positive territory after the open, but buying failed to persist and the index weakened again at times. In the afternoon session, buybacks spread against the backdrop of gains in South Korea’s KOSPI, and the index recovered the ¥63,000 level before heading into the close.
At the close, the Nikkei 225 stood at ¥63,923.00, up ¥438.90 from the previous day. Trading volume on the TSE Prime Market was 17.609 billion shares, while trading value was ¥6.7075 trillion. By sector, oil and coal products, mining, and textiles rose, while pharmaceuticals, information and communications, and air transportation declined. Approximately 67.4% of issues across the market advanced, while approximately 29.0% declined.
Among individual stocks, gainers included Tokyo Electron, Advantest, Fast Retailing, TDK, and Recruit Holdings, while decliners included SoftBank Group, Konami Group, Nitori Holdings, Mercari, and Ryohin Keikaku. Investors were reported to be closely watching crude oil trends, long-term interest rates, and the performance of AI-related stocks.
As a market overview, the Nikkei 225 rebounded for the first time in 4 sessions and closed at the day’s high, with developments in the South Korean market supporting buybacks in the afternoon session. Movements among individual stocks reflected a mixed performance, with strength in resource-related stocks offset by weakness in some technology stocks.