Japan Financial News

The «baby bubble» stock market rally, fueled by the faster-than-expected adoption of GenAi technology, is “growing up” according to analysts at Bank of America.

South Korea and the United States flew advanced stealth fighters in a joint missile-interception drill Friday over the Korean Peninsula, South Korea's air force said, an apparent response to a spate of weapons tests this year by rival North Korea. North Korea has conducted six rounds of missiles tests so far this year, most of them reportedly involving cruise missiles that fly at a low altitude to overcome opponents' missile defenses. Analysts say that in the event of a conflict, North Korea aims to use cruise missiles to strike U.S. aircraft carriers as well as US military bases in Japan. South Korea's air force said the drill on Friday involved fight-generation stealth F-35A fighter jets from both countries and other fighter jets from South Korea. It said the US F-35As were deployed in South Korea on Wednesday from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan.

TOKYO (Reuters) — Toyota Motor (NYSE:TM) has extended until March 1 the shutdown of two production lines at two manufacturing plants run by Toyota group companies in Japan, it said on Friday.

trade agreements with the UK, Oman and four European nation bloc EFTA will reflect its commitment to trade liberalisation and economic integration at a time when the whole world is turning protectionist, according to a report. Economic think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said the free trade agreements (FTAs) have become pivotal instruments for India's economic expansion and integration into the world market. These nations and the bloc are eager to finalize these agreements before the upcoming general elections, GTRI said, adding the talks are on the verge of conclusion. Signing of these three agreements will take India's FTA tally from 13 to 16.

(This Feb. 21 story has been corrected to fix the gender of the analyst in paragraph 2)

Investing.com-- Most Asian stocks rose on Friday and were set for a positive week as optimism over artificial intelligence drove stellar gains in the technology sector, while Chinese stocks extended a rebound into a second week.

Investing.com-- Most Asian currencies fell on Friday, while the dollar steadied from recent losses as hawkish signals from the Federal Reserve and strong U.S. labor data cast more doubts over early U.S. rate cuts.

Nvidia added $277 billion in stock market value on Thursday, Wall Street's largest one-day gain in history after the heavyweight chipmaker's quarterly report beat expectations and reignited a rally fueled by optimism about artificial intelligence. The company's stock soared 16.4% to close at $785.38, a record-high close, lifting its market capitalization to $1.96 trillion after its January-quarter report late on Wednesday showed demand for its specialized chips used in AI computing continued to outpace analysts' already-high expectations.

yen sagged to fresh lows on the euro, sterling and other crosses this week and headed for a fourth weekly drop on the dollar as investors chased better yields just about everywhere but Japan, wagering rates there would stay near zero for some time. The yen is the worst-performing G10 currency this year, with a 6.4% slide on the dollar. The greenback is the best performing.

stocks rose on Friday and put global markets on course for a week of heady gains as AI darling Nvidia's stunning results sparked a wave of record highs from Asia to Europe and the U.S., while the yen nursed losses on a range of currencies. Nvidia surged 15%, adding a record $250 billion in market value on Thursday. The Santa Clara, California-based company's results supercharged a global AI-led rally in technology stocks, propelling the S&P 500, the Dow Jones Industrials, Europe's STOXX 600 and Japan's Nikkei share average to record highs.

Sensex climbed 535.15 points, or 0.74%, to close at 73,158.24, while the Nifty 50 settled at 22,217.45, up by 162.40 points, or 0.74%. “Strong Q4 results and a positive outlook from chipmaker Nvidia led to a revival in global sentiments. Further, HSBC Flash India PMI data for the month of February pointed towards India’s economic activity – both manufacturing and services being at a 7-month high which helped Indian markets to make a sharp recovery.

Security tokens are set for a boost in Japan, where business giants including Mitsubishi UFJ, Mizuho Bank, and Rakuten will launch an offering that pays interest in “electronic money.”

Buy or sell stocks for today: On account of sharp selling in small and mid-cap stocks, the Indian stock market opened lower on Thursday. However, bulls came back strongly in the last session and most of the Indian sectors witnessed sharp buying, which helped Dalal Street recuperate its losses and end higher.

Investing.com-- Semiconductor maker Kioxia Holdings and U.S. partner Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:WDC) will resume negotiations for a potential merger in late-April 2024, Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported on Friday.

rival company’s lander missed the moon last month. The newest lander, named Odysseus, reached the moon Wednesday, six days after rocketing from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The lander maneuvered into a low lunar orbit in preparation for an early evening touchdown.

By Sam Nussey and Miho Uranaka

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index has surged past the record it set in 1989 before its financial bubble burst, ushering in an era of faltering growth

Benchmark U.S. crude oil for April delivery rose 70 cents to $78.61 per barrel Thursday

Nvidia's stock price surged after delivering another blowout quarter, setting off a rally in other technology companies that carried Wall Street to another record high

A private lunar lander is circling the moon while aiming for a touchdown near the south pole

By Herbert Lash and Marc Jones