Japan's Nikkei hits record high, Topix posts best monthly gain
Japan's Nikkei 225 closed at a record 58,850.27 on Friday, capping off a strong February with a 10.4% monthly jump.
The Topix index also had its best run in years, up 1.5%.
Analysts see more growth ahead
Even with US markets down and chip stocks struggling, Japan's stock market is showing real strength—good news for anyone thinking about investing beyond the usual spots.
Analysts see more growth ahead, with solid profit forecasts for the coming fiscal year (starting April 2026).
Optimism around big companies helped lift nearly all major shares
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent win sparked hopes for more government spending and easy money policies—a combo investors love.
Optimism around big companies like Sony (up 7.2% after it lifted its share buyback plan to up to 250 billion yen from 150 billion yen), Fast Retailing, Nomura Research, and NEC helped lift nearly all major shares.
Semiconductor stocks took a hit
Semiconductor stocks took a hit as US chip companies dropped—Advantest fell over 4%, while Tokyo Electron also slipped, and SoftBank, a technology investor, slipped—but it wasn't enough to slow down the overall rally.