FX.co ★ Japanese Shares Rise in Post-Holiday Trade

The Nikkei 225 edged up 0.1% to move above 67,000, while the broader Topix rose 0.3% to 4,113 in post-holiday trading on Wednesday, extending this week’s gains as technology and financial shares advanced.

Tech sentiment was buoyed by upbeat outlooks from CoreWeave and Super Micro Computer, both seen as key beneficiaries of the ongoing artificial intelligence investment boom. Among notable movers, Kioxia Holdings climbed 2.7%, Advantest added 0.8% and Recruit Holdings gained 2.6%.

Major banks also strengthened, with Mitsubishi UFJ up 2.2%, Sumitomo Mitsui advancing 2.5% and Mizuho Financial rising 1.8%.

On the geopolitical front, investors weighed the prospects of a US-Iran agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, after Pakistan’s defense minister said Washington and Tehran are “close to some sort of arrangement.”