Nikkei 225 Soars: SoftBank Gains Over 10%
Asia-Pacific markets Surge on Inflation Data and Tech Optimism
Tokyo, Japan – A wave of optimism, fueled by cooling inflation data and groundbreaking tech deals, swept across Asia-Pacific markets today, driving notable gains and setting new records. Japan’s Nikkei 225 led the charge, briefly hitting an all-time high of 44,396.95 before closing at 44,372.5,a 1.22% increase.
The surge in the Nikkei was partly propelled by tech investment giant SoftBank Group, which soared past 10% for the second consecutive day. This rally was sparked by a Wall Street Journal report detailing a monumental $300 billion, five-year cloud-computing agreement between OpenAI and Oracle.
Oracle’s stock also experienced a meteoric rise, closing 35.95% higher in the U.S. on Wednesday after the company announced staggering cloud demand figures. oracle projects its cloud infrastructure revenue to reach $18 billion in fiscal 2026,with ambitious targets of $32 billion,$73 billion,$114 billion,and $144 billion in the subsequent four years.
Andrew Jackson, head of Japanese equity strategy at ORTUS advisors, noted the connection between SoftBank and Oracle, highlighting their joint involvement in the $500 billion Stargate program. This U.S. initiative, announced in January by then-president Donald Trump, brings together OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Oracle’s Larry Ellison, and SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son.
Beyond tech, energy and utilities stocks also contributed to the Nikkei’s gains. Mitsui Mining and Smelting rose more than 5%, while electrical components manufacturer Fujikura traded 4% higher. The Topix index also reversed course to climb 0.2%.
South Korea’s Kospi advanced 0.9% to a record close of 3,344.2, while the small-cap Kosdaq climbed 0.21% to 834.76.
In contrast, Australia’s ASX/S&P 200 declined 0.29% to end the day at 8,805.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 0.21%, while the Hang Seng Tech index rose 0.23%. mainland China’s CSI 300 jumped 2.31% to close at 4,548.03.
India’s benchmark Nifty 50 rose 0.13%, while the sensex index was up 0.15%.
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