Japan's Nikkei on track for best week in 5 months despite Nvidia turmoil

Japan’s Nikkei share average was poised for its best week in five months on Friday, as positive earnings and renewed optimism surrounding artificial intelligence buoyed sentiment, despite ongoing turmoil surrounding chipmaker Nvidia. The index rose 1.25% to 61,576.91, as of 0140 GMT, indicating a potential weekly gain of 7.3%, the index's largest since June 15.

The broader Topix rose 0.63% to 3,962.08, also on track for a weekly gain of about 7%, its strongest since August 2024. Semiconductor stocks were the primary driver of the Nikkei's advance, with Advantest surging 5.9%, Tokyo Electron increasing 3%, and Kioxia climbing 2.9%. Nvidia shares experienced a sell-off overnight, dragging down US stocks, but other chipmakers such as Broadcom and Alphabet gained, reflecting continued investor confidence in the broader AI sector.

Maki Sawada, an equities strategist at Nomura Securities, attributed the recent gains to the resurgence of semiconductor- and AI-related shares, which had been under pressure for some time. The market breadth was positive, with 138 stocks advancing against 82 declining and 5 unchanged. Banking shares also gained 1%, as US Treasury yields climbed amid speculation about potential U.S. rate hikes.

The largest percentage gainers in the index were Amada Co, up 9.46%, Socionext, up 6.77%, and Trend Micro, up 6.61%. The biggest losers were Terumo, down 7.39%, Haseko, down 6.12%, and Mercari, which declined 3.68%.