The Japanese stock market is trading notably higher on Thursday with the overnight positive close on Wall Street on the back of impressive economic data triggering some strong buying in several front line stocks.
Volume of business is rather thin on the exchange with the authorities suspending trading in as many as 241 stocks including Sony Corp., Hitachi Ltd. and Dai-ichi Life Insurance Co. following the failure of a key information distribution system.
Mining, non-ferrous metals, insurance and financial stocks are mostly trading higher. Shares from services, chemicals and pharmaceuticals sectors are trading mixed.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index is currently trading at 8,882.2, up 72.4 points or 0.8 percent over its previous close.
Nomura Holdings is gaining over 7 percent. Mitsui OSK Lines is trading stronger by 6.3 percent.
Taiyo Yuden, Daiwa Securities Group, Unitika, Nippon Yusen, Softbank, Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding, Resona Holdings and Furukawa Electric are up 3 to 5 percent.
Mizuho Financial, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, SMFG, Shinsei Bank, Sumitomo Realty, Fuji Heavy Industries, Casio Computer, Yahoo Japan, Nippon Light Metal, Kobe Steel, Nippon Steel and Japan Tobacco are also up with strong gains.
In the banking space, Mizuho Financial, SMFG, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial and Shinsei Bank are up 2 to 3 percent.
In the automobile space, Honda Motor, Mazda Motor, Hino Motors and Nissan Motor are trading higher by 1.5 to 3.5 percent.
Sharp Corp. shares are plunging by over 15 percent to a 31-year low, after the company said it will likely post a record group operating loss in financial year 2011. Sumco Corp is down almost 14 percent.
Mitsubishi Materials is trading lower by 5.8 percent. Dai Nippon Print, Panasonic Corp, Asahi Glass, Nippon Electric Glass, Mitsubishi Paper and Mitsumi Electric are down 2.5 to 4 percent. Fujitsu, J Front Retailing, Pioneer Corp, Toto and Olympus Corp are also trading weak.
In the currency market, the U.S. dollar traded in the lower 76 yen range in early deals in Tokyo. The yen is currently trading at 76.12 to the U.S. dollar.
Among other markets in the Asia-Pacific region, Australia, Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan are trading notably higher with their benchmark indices gaining between 1 percent and 1.5 percent. Shanghai, New Zealand and Singapore are also trading firm. Markets across the region turned in a mixed performance on Wednesday.
On Wall Street, stocks closed with notable gains on Wednesday with reacting positively to the latest batch of economic data.
The major averages ended the session off their best levels of the day but still closed firmly in positive territory. The Dow rose 83.6 points or 0.7 percent to 12,716.5, the Nasdaq jumped 34.4 points or 1.2 percent to 2,848.3 and the S&P 500 advanced 11.7 points or 0.9 percent to 1,324.1.
Major European markets too ended on a firm note on Wednesday. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index jumped by 1.9 percent, while the French CAC 40 index and the German DAX index gained 2.1 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively.
U.S. crude oil futures ended at a six-week low Wednesday, mostly on the EIA data that showed an increase in U.S. oil inventories last week, notwithstanding a weak dollar and some upbeat data from China, Europe and the U.S. Light sweet crude for March delivery dipped $0.87 or 0.9 percent to settle at $97.61 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
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Market Analysis
June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.