Japan’s Nikkei Climbs 2％ on Return from Holiday as Yen Stabilizes

Reuters

12:08 JST, August 13, 2024

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s Nikkei share average jumped more than 2% on Tuesday, with tech shares leading the rally as sentiment got a boost from a more stable yen as traders returned after a public holiday.

The Nikkei entered the midday recess up 2.2% at 35,785.55, after reaching as high as 36,025.92 earlier in the session, topping the psychological 36,000 level for the first time since Aug. 2.

The broader Topix climbed 1.8%.

Chip-making equipment giant Tokyo Electron led Nikkei gainers by index points with a 5.3% rally. Chip-testing machine manufacturer Advantest was next, advancing 5.5%.

Sony Group and Toyota Motor rose 5.5% and 2.5%, respectively.

The yen has stabilized around 147 per dollar in recent days, and last traded at 147.36. It had touched as high as 141.675 on Aug. 5 for the first time since the start of this year.

Japanese markets were closed on Monday for the Obon holiday, and trading is likely to be thin all week, with many investors taking additional time off.

“The Nikkei looks like it will trade firm all day based on current price action,” said Maki Sawada, an equities strategist at Nomura Securities.

“Whether the Nikkei can recover above 36,000 will be a key focal point.”

The Nikkei had slumped to as low as 31,156.12 on Aug. 5 for the first time in almost nine months amid a sharply higher yen, spurred in part by a sudden rise in fears of a U.S. recession, following a surprisingly soft monthly payrolls report.

U.S. macro data has improved since then, but the economic outlook faces a crucial week with the release of producer inflation data later on Tuesday, followed by consumer inflation data on Wednesday and retail sales a day after.