TOKYO: Japan’s Nikkei share average rebounded on Friday, buoyed by positive earnings and Wall Street gains overnight, although profit-taking capped further advances.
The Nikkei was up 0.62% at 38,311.63 by the midday break, after rising more than 1% earlier in the session. The broader Topix was up 0.68% at 2731.86.
The benchmark index has seen a choppy week of trading after hitting a three-week high of 38,863.14 on Tuesday.
Higher expectations for US interest rate cuts following softer-than-expected jobs growth in April has brightened investor sentiment this week.
Wall Street gave a fresh boost, rising after weekly jobless claims data added to hopes for interest-rate cuts. That combined with solid local earnings gave the Nikkei the push needed to try higher again.
But the rally was reined in as investors jumped in to lock in profits with the index near the psychologically-significant 39,000 level.
“It does look to me like we’ve entered a period of consolidation,” said Tony Sycamore, a market analyst at IG.
“But when you’re looking at the bigger picture, a period of consolidation is not a bad thing. It generally means the market’s rebuilding energy.”
The index rose to an all-time high of 41,087.75 earlier this year before retreating last month.
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Among individual shares, earnings reports largely decided the winners and losers of the morning session. Gaming firms stood out, with Konami Group, up 9.3%, leading gains.
Bandai Namco Holdings and Nintendo also advanced, up 6.3% and 3.5%, respectively.
Electrical equipment manufacturer Daikin Industries surged 9%.
Chip-related Screen Holdings fell to the bottom with a 10.9% decline.
Shares of Panasonic Holdings were 5.5% lower after the energy unit of the firm missed its operating profit guidance for the business year.
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