Japan's Nikkei surges past 68,000 on AI and semiconductor rally
Japan's Nikkei index just smashed through the 68,000 mark, hitting a record high of 68,203.79 on Wednesday morning. The big push came from AI and semiconductor stocks, with the rally happening only two days after crossing 67,000.
The broader Topix index also climbed 1.5% to 3,982.89 in morning trade.
Tokyo Electron jumps 10.3%
Semiconductor giants led the charge: Tokyo Electron jumped 10.3%, Advantest added 4.1%, and Kioxia Holdings rose 7.2% after announcing future dividend payments, briefly overtaking Toyota as Japan's second-most-valuable company.
Nonferrous metals were up too, while pharmaceutical stocks slipped a bit.
Screen and Fujikura surge, SHIFT falls
Screen Holdings soared nearly 14% and Fujikura gained over 11%, but SHIFT dropped by about 9%.
Global oil prices also ticked up amid Middle East tensions, but overall market optimism stayed strong thanks to AI buzz and positive signals from Wall Street.