Reuters

Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average Jumps near 4%, Closes at Record High as Precious Metals Sell-off Pauses (UPDATE 1)　

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
The Tokyo Stock Exchange

Reuters

13:08 JST, February 3, 2026 (updated at 16:16 JST)

TOKYO, Feb 3 (Reuters) – Japan’s Nikkei share average climbed nearly 4% to close at a record high on Tuesday, rebounding from a decline posted in the previous session, after the sell-off of precious metals paused.

The Nikkei .N225rose 3.92% to 54,720.66 in its biggest daily gain since October 25.

On Monday, the index erased most of its early gains to close 1.25% lower as prices of precious metals slumped.

The broader Topix .TOPX jumped 3.1% to 3,645.84 on Tuesday.

“The market was worried about the impact of the sell-off of the precious metals in the previous session on other assets. But the stocks in the U.S. and Europe were strong overnight,” said Shuutarou Yasuda, a market analyst at Tokai Tokyo Intelligence Laboratory.

“That prompted investors to scoop up the stocks in today’s session,” he said.

The market also welcomed robust U.S. factory activity data as a sign of the economy’s strength, which also became a cue for the rally in Japanese stocks, said Yasuda.

The S&P 500 .SPX closed higher on Monday, lifted by gains in chipmakers and other companies related to artificial intelligence, while smaller companies also rose sharply. .N

The other two main indexes, the Nasdaq .IXIC and Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI, also edged higher.

In Japan, chip-testing equipment maker Advantest 6857.T jumped 7.1% and chip-making equipment maker Tokyo Electron 8035.T climbed nearly 4.79%.

Optical fiber cable maker Fujikura 5803.T jumped 9.67%.

Shares of TDK6762.T surged 11.43% after the electronic component maker raised its annual profit forecast for the year to March.

Yamaha Motor7272.T fell 10% to become the worst percentage loser on the Nikkei after the motorcycle maker cut its annual profit forecast for the year to December.

Of the 225 stocks on the Nikkei, only 16 stocks fell.

Of more than 1,600 stocks trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s prime market, 84% rose and 13% fell, while 2% traded flat.