Japan's Nikkei jumps 2% on return from holiday; tech shares rally

Updated 13 Aug, 2024

TOKYO: Japan's Nikkei share average jumped more than 2% in early trading on Tuesday, with tech shares leading the rally as sentiment got a boost from a more stable yen.

The Nikkei was 2.2% higher at 35,804.50 as of 0013 GMT, as the market reopened after a public holiday on Monday.

The broader Topix gained 1.8%.

A Topix index of growth shares rose 1.9% versus a 1.7% rise for a value share index. Chip-making equipment giant Tokyo Electron led gainers by index points with a 7% surge.

Chip-testing machine maker Advantest advanced 3.6%.

The Nikkei had slumped to as low as 31,156.12 on Aug. 5 for the first time in almost nine months amid a perfect storm of factors including a sharply higher yen and a sudden rise in fears of a US recession.

Japan’s Nikkei share average crosses all-time high, breaking 1989 record

The yen has stabilized around 147 per dollar in recent days, and last traded at 147.13. It had surged as high as 141.675 on Aug. 5 for the first time since the start of this year.

The US economic data has also started to come in firmer since the middle of last week, but the outlook faces some crucial tests with the release of producer inflation data later on Tuesday, followed by consumer inflation data on Wednesday and retail sales on Thursday.

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