TOKYO: Tokyo’s key Nikkei index ended higher on Thursday, helped by sound earnings from chip giant Nvidia, despite the lack of progress on US debt ceiling negotiations.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index added 0.39 percent, or 118.45 points, to 30,801.13 while the broader Topix index slipped 0.29 percent, or 6.25 points, to 2,146.15.

The dollar stood at 139.67 yen, against 139.43 yen in New York on Wednesday. On Wall Street overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.8 percent while the broad-based S&P 500 shed 0.7 percent and the tech-rich Nasdaq index declined 0.6 percent.

Investors were fretting over the lack of signs of a deal on the debt ceiling in Washington, even as the June 1 deadline approaches.

In Japan, the market started with losses following the Wall Street falls. But shares in US chip company Nvidia soared more than 25 percent as it “reported a better-than-expected earnings report after the US closing bell,” which prompted rallies in chip-related shares in Tokyo, IwaiCosmo Securities said in a note.