On Wednesday, the Japanese stock market experienced a modest uptick, continuing the positive momentum from the previous session, influenced by broadly optimistic cues from Wall Street overnight. The Nikkei 225 index is trading above the 41,300 mark with gains observed in the exporters, automakers, and financial sectors.
The Nikkei 225 Index has risen by 52.31 points, marking a 0.13% increase to settle at 41,327.39, after reaching a peak of 41,466.45 earlier in the day. Japanese stocks had similarly ended higher on Tuesday.
Market heavyweight SoftBank Group has eased down by 0.2%, whereas Fast Retailing, the operator of Uniqlo, has edged up by 0.2%. In the automobile sector, Honda has gained over 1%, and Toyota has inched up by 0.4%.
In the technology sector, Advantest has dipped by 0.5%, and Tokyo Electron has declined by more than 3%, while Screen Holdings has added nearly 2%.
In banking, Mizuho Financial has risen by almost 1%, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial has edged up by 0.1%, and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial has slightly decreased by 0.4%.
Among the key exporters, Canon and Sony have edged up between 0.2% and 0.4%, while Panasonic and Mitsubishi Electric have both gained close to 2%.
Highlighting significant gainers, Toho has soared by nearly 9%, whereas Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Hitachi Zosen have surged around 6% each. Hitachi Construction Machinery and Sumitomo Pharma have advanced more than 5% each, with Toray Industries, Komatsu, and Sumitomo Heavy Industries increasing by over 4%. Additionally, Taisei, Tokai Carbon, and Sumitomo Chemical are up nearly 4%, while Kubota has climbed more than 3%. JTEKT, Daiwa Securities, and Nomura Holdings have each advanced nearly 3%.
Conversely, Lasertec and Disco have each seen declines of almost 3%.
In the currency market, the U.S. dollar is trading in the upper 158 yen range on Wednesday.
Turning to Wall Street, stocks mostly rose on Tuesday, continuing the upward trend seen in the previous two sessions. The Dow particularly stood out, surging to a new record closing high.
The Dow surged by 742.76 points, or 1.9%, to 40,954.48. The S&P 500 climbed by 35.98 points, or 0.6%, to a new record closing high of 5,667.20, while the Nasdaq rose by 36.77 points, or 0.2%, to 18,509.34.
Conversely, the major European markets moved downward on the same day. The French CAC 40 Index slid by 0.7%, the German DAX Index fell by 0.4%, and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 Index dipped by 0.2%.
Crude oil prices saw a decline on Tuesday, extending losses for the third consecutive session amid worries about demand outlook and a slightly stronger dollar. West Texas Intermediate Crude oil futures for August fell by $1.15, or 1.4%, to $80.76 per barrel.
