TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - The Japan stock market has finished higher in three straight sessions, climbing more than 650 points or 1.9 percent along the way. The Nikkei 225 now sits just above the 38,210-point plateau and it may add to its winnings again on Wednesday.
The global forecast for the Asian markets is hopeful on continuing trade talks between the United States and China. The European markets were mixed and the U.S. bourses were up and the Asian markets figure to split the difference.
The Nikkei finished modestly higher again on Tuesday following mixed performances from the financial shares, technology stocks and automobile producers.
For the day, the index gained 122.94 points or 0.32 percent to finish at 38,211.51 after trading between 38,139.10 and 38,495.70.
Among the actives, Nissan Motor shed 0.68 percent, while Mazda Motor improved 0.84 percent, Toyota Motor added 0.66 percent, Softbank Group rallied 2.32 percent, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial dropped 0.93 percent, Mizuho Financial tumbled 1.86 percent, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial lost 0.66 percent, Mitsubishi Electric retreated 1.33 percent, Sony Group sank 0.86 percent, Panasonic Holdings gained 0.49 percent, Hitachi slumped 0.56 percent and Honda Motor was unchanged.
The lead from Wall Street is cautiously optimistic as the major averages opened mixed but generally tracked higher throughout the day to end with modest gains.
The Dow climbed 105.11 points or 0.25 percent to finish at 42,866.87, while the NASDAQ gained 123.75 points or 0.63 percent to close at 19,714.99 and the S&P 500 added 32.93 points or 0.55 percent to end at 6,038.81.
The strength that emerged on Wall Street came amid optimism as traders awaited the outcome of the ongoing trade talks between China and the U.S. in London.
Trade negotiations between the world's two largest economies commenced on Monday - and while U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters the talks are 'going well,' there has been no breakthrough as of yet.
In economic news, the National Federation of Independent Business said the NFIB Small Business Optimism Index in the US increased to 98.8 in May 2025, the highest in three months, compared to 95.8 in April. The reading was expected to come in with a score of 95.9.
Crude oil prices were down on Tuesday amidst uncertainty over trade talks between China and the United States continued, although the outcome remains uncertain. West Texas Intermediate crude oil for July delivery closed down by $0.31 to settle at $64.98 per barrel.
Closer to home, Japan will release May figures for producer prices; in April, producer prices were up 0.2 percent on month and 4.0 percent on year.
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