Tokyo, Oct. 1 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average surged more than 2,000 points on Thursday, amid intensified buying of stocks related to artificial intelligence. The index of 225 major issues listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s top-tier Prime section finished at 68,956.72, up 2,203.00 points, or 3.30 pct, from Wednesday’s close. Following a robust earnings report from U.S. semiconductor giant Micron Technology, AI-related stocks posted hefty gains, including semiconductor test device maker Advantest, up 9.78 pct, chipmaking gear producer Tokyo Electron, up 6.47 pct, and technology investor SoftBank Group, up 4.21 pct. Other stocks were initially weighed down by selling to lock in profits at the beginning of the October-December quarter, but were later supported by buying linked to the Nikkei average’s ascent, market sources said. “Today’s market fueled hopes for an exit from the correction phase since this summer,” said a domestic brokerage firm official. In Tokyo currency trading, selling of the yen intensified after a summary of the Bank of Japan’s September policy-setting meeting revealed that a government official urged the central bank to fulfill its accountability for interest rate hikes. At 4 p.m., the dollar stood at 158.15-15 yen, up from 156.91-91 yen at 5 p.m. the previous day. The euro was at 1.1317-1318 dollars, down from 1.1344-1346 dollars, and at 179.00-00 yen, up from 178.02-03 yen. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
