TOKYO, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) — Japan’s benchmark Nikkei stock index closed increased on Friday as strong home earnings outlooks lifted sentiment, with semiconductor points rallying on hopes of rising demand.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average added 86.63 factors, or 0.31 %, from Thursday to shut the day at 27,670.98.
The broader Topix index, in the meantime, gained 1.96 factors, or 0.10 %, to complete at 1,986.96.
Dealers right here mentioned that corporations reporting strong earnings and outlooks discovered favor, though some buyers hit the sidelines to await key U.S. inflation knowledge.
“Robust outlook of domestic firms is a strong tailwind for the market. Investors were relieved to confirm corporate performance,” Shoichi Arisawa, normal supervisor of the funding analysis division at IwaiCosmo Securities, was quoted as saying.
“Still, the market has not set the direction yet. Its move is based on earnings of individual companies,” Arisawa mentioned.
He went on to say that market features had been restricted as buyers awaited January U.S. client value inflation knowledge due subsequent week.
Investors additionally took pause, brokers right here mentioned, to see who would get the federal government’s nod to be introduced to parliament subsequent Tuesday to be the brand new Bank of Japan chief from April.
“Although the market was lifted by favorable earnings reports, some investors adopted a wait-and-see stance,” Shingo Ide, chief fairness strategist on the NLI Research Institute, mentioned.
After the closing bell, stories broke that Kazuo Ueda, former Policy Board member of the Bank of Japan (BOJ), has been tapped by the federal government for the place.
The stories prompted the yen to surge versus the U.S. dollar, analysts right here mentioned, amid disappointment that BOJ deputy chief Masayoshi Amamiya, broadly considered the highest decide and a recognized entity, might have been snubbed.
“The yen surged as traders were disappointed that Mr. Amamiya will not become chief. They will focus on Mr. Ueda’s remarks as people do not know what kind of stance Mr. Ueda would take,” Yukio Ishizuki, senior international trade strategist at Daiwa Securities Co., was quoted as saying.
During buying and selling hours, chip-linked points rallied, with Tokyo Electron climbing 4.3 %, after elevating its full-year working revenue forecast and including to hopes that demand within the trade would enhance.
Chip-testing tools maker Advantest additionally attracted shopping for, closing 1.5 % increased.
Iron and metal points gained traction, after Nippon Steel Corp.’s earnings beat median expectations, with the steelmaker leaping 4.5 %.
Kobe Steel surged 15 %, in the meantime, after it raised its revenue outlook for the present enterprise yr by way of March and mentioned its full-year dividend payout could be its highest ever.
By the shut of play, iron and metal, insurance coverage, and electrical equipment points comprised people who gained probably the most.
The turnover on the ultimate buying and selling day of the week got here to three,450.98 billion yen (26.35 billion U.S. {dollars}).