FX.co ★ Japanese Shares Track Wall Street Higher

On Thursday, the Nikkei 225 Index increased by 0.6%, surpassing 44,800, thereby breaking a four-day losing streak. This rise followed gains seen overnight on Wall Street, as investors set aside concerns related to the anticipated U.S. government shutdown, expected to persist for at least three days. The positive momentum in equities was bolstered by robust corporate earnings, ongoing excitement surrounding artificial intelligence, and the prospect of further interest rate reductions by the Federal Reserve. Furthermore, regional market sentiment received a boost after South Korean giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix revealed a partnership with OpenAI to supply memory chips for its Stargate data centers. The technology sector led the recovery in Japan, with significant advances from companies such as Disco, which rose by 6.6%, SoftBank Group at 5%, Lasertec at 3.1%, Advantest at 3.4%, and Tokyo Electron at 4.8%. Other notable contributors to the rally included Sanrio, which increased by 2.3%, Fujikura by 1.7%, and Daiichi Sankyo by 5.4%.