Has risen Nikkei المؤشر Japanese stocks rose on Thursday to their highest levels in more than two weeks, supported by technology companies, after the decline in long-term US bond yields last night.
The Nikkei index closed up 1.23% to 27,553.06 points, the highest level since the fifth of April, when the broader Topix index closed up 0.67% to 1928.00 points.
A trader from a Japanese brokerage company said that investors’ anticipation of the companies’ results limited the Nikkei’s gains, and that the movements in the currency markets reduced the appetite for risks.
The dollar rose 0.34% to 128.305 yen, after hitting a 20-year high of 129.430 on Wednesday, as the Bank of Japan intervened in the bond market for the third time in three months to defend the zero yield target.
Chip equipment maker Tokyo Electron gained 3.54%, the largest supporter of the Nikkei and Topix indexes, after earnings of its global peer ASML exceeded expectations.
Daikin Industries rose 3.54%, and Sony Games and Cameras Group rose 1.49%. Canon shares fell 2.18%.
Shares of 149 companies on the Nikkei index rose, while shares of 69 companies fell.