FX.co ★ Japanese Shares Climb on Chip Rally

The Nikkei 225 Index surged 3.3% to close at 68,957 on Thursday, rising for a second straight session to its highest level in six weeks as technology and artificial intelligence-related stocks rallied on the back of Micron Technology’s strong outlook. The US memory chipmaker issued an upbeat revenue forecast for the current quarter, signaling sustained demand for AI memory chips.

Japanese chip and AI-linked shares outperformed, reflecting the country’s key role in the global AI buildout. Notable gains included Kioxia (5.6%), Advantest (9.8%), Taiyo Yuden (8.3%), Murata Manufacturing (8.4%) and Lasertec (11.1%).

In contrast, Nidec tumbled 10.8% after the motor maker’s auditor declined to issue an opinion on its long-awaited financial statements.

Separately, central bank data showed that manufacturing sentiment improved in the third quarter to its highest level in more than eight years, while overall business conditions reached their most favorable levels in decades.