The Japanese stock market has finished higher in two consecutive trading days, soaring more than 1,400 points or 2.7 percent along the way. The Nikkei 225 now sits just above the 50,400-point plateau and it may extend its gains on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is mixed to higher, with gold, oil and technology shares likely to lead the way higher. The European markets were down and the U.S. bourses were up and the Asian markets figure to follow the latter lead. The Nikkei finished sharply higher on Monday following gains from the financial shares, technology stocks and automobile producers. For the day, the index jumped 895.18 points or 1.81 percent to finish at 50,402.39 after trading between 49,982.20 and 50,590.88. Among the actives, Nissan Motor improved 0.75 percent, while Mazda Motor accelerated 4.34 percent, Toyota Motor advanced 0.91 percent, Honda Motor strengthened 1.61 percent, Softbank Group soared 4.09 percent, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial jumped 1.86 percent, Mizuho Financial vaulted 1.40 percent, Mitsubishi Electric rallied 1.74 percent, Panasonic Holdings spiked 3.47 percent and Hitachi expanded 1.89 percent.
The lead from Wall Street is positive as the major averages opened higher on Monday and spent all day in the green.
The Dow climbed 227.79 points or 0.47 percent to finish at 48,362.68, while the NASDAQ jumped 121.21 points or 0.52 percent to close at 23,428.83 and the S&P 500 added 43.99 points or 0.64 percent to end at 6,878.49.
The strength on Wall Street came as on continued strength among technology stocks, with companies like Oracle (ORCL) and AI darling and market leader Nvidia (NVDA) leading the charge.
Overall trading activity was subdued, however, with a lack of major U.S. economic data keeping traders on the sidelines. Some traders may also be away as they look to get a head start on the Christmas Day holiday on Thursday.
Crude oil prices surged on Monday as the conflict between the U.S. and Venezuela continue to escalate, while Russia and Ukraine remain heavily engaged. West Texas Intermediate crude for February delivery was up $1.43 or 2.53 percent at $57.95 per barrel.
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December 19, 2025 15:10 ET U.S. inflation data and interest rate decisions by major central banks were the highlights of this busy week for economics news flow. Employment data and survey results on the housing markets also gained attention in the U.S. In Europe, the European Central Bank and Bank of England announced their policy decisions and macroeconomic projections.