TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - The Japan stock market has moved higher in back-to-back sessions, collecting more than 700 points or 1.1 percent along the way. The Nikkei 225 now sits just above the 70,050-point plateau and it may extend its gains again on Wednesday.
The global forecast for the Asian markets is upbeat thanks to sliding oil prices and support from the technology shares. The European and U.S. markets were up and the Asian markets figure to follow that lead.
The Nikkei finished modestly higher on Tuesday following gains from the financial shares, technology stocks and automobile producers.
For the day, the index jumped 594.21 points or 0.86 percent to finish at 70,062.32 after trading between 69,302.19 and 70,667.00.
The lead from Wall Street is firm as the major averages opened mixed but quickly picked up steam to finish solidly in positive territory.
The Dow gained 136.46 points or 0.26 percent to finish at a record 52,319.20, while the NASDAQ jumped 393.57 points or 1.52 percent to end at 26,213.72 and the S&P 500 improved 58.93 points or 0.79 percent to close at 7,499.36.
The strength on Wall Street came as technology stocks continued to regain ground following the sharp pullback seen last week. Semiconductor stocks helped to lead the way higher once again, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index spiking 3.9 percent.
Crude oil prices slumped amid conflicting messages about a new round of talks between the U.S. and Iran. While President Donald Trump claimed a meeting is set to be held in Qatar, a spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry reportedly denied that talks were scheduled.
With increasing tanker traffic across the Strait of Hormuz eased supply concerns, West Texas Intermediate was down $1.29 or 1.82 percent at $69.46 per barrel.
Closer to home, the Bank of Japan will release its quarterly Toankan Survey of business sentiment later this morning. The large manufacturers index is expected to show a score of +16, down from +17 in the previous three months. The outlook is seen at +13, down from +14 three months earlier. Large industry capital spending is expected to rise 3.3 percent, while small industry capex is tipped to slump 8.1 percent.
Copyright(c) 2026 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
© 2026 AFX News
