01.10.202600:48:06UTC+00Japan’s Nikkei Extends Gains on Tech Boost

The Nikkei 225 Index rose 0.9% to move above 67,000 on Thursday, gaining for a second consecutive session and reaching its highest level in six weeks, driven largely by advances in technology and artificial intelligence-related stocks.

Sentiment was boosted after Micron Technology delivered an upbeat outlook and Google began rolling out Gemini 4 Argon, its new flagship AI model. A softer-than-expected US PCE inflation reading further supported risk appetite, as traders trimmed expectations for a Federal Reserve rate hike this month. However, persistently high oil prices and elevated bond yields continued to weigh on the broader outlook.

In Japan, central bank data indicated that manufacturing sentiment improved in the third quarter to its strongest level in more than eight years. Among the standout performers were Kioxia Holdings (up 4.1%), Advantest (4.7%), SoftBank Group (2.5%), Taiyo Yuden (2.5%) and Murata Manufacturing (4.5%).