TOKYO: Japan’s Nikkei share average reversed early losses to trade higher on Thursday, as investors awaited Wall Street’s response to AI chipmaker Nvidia’s strong quarterly outlook even as its Tokyo-based supplier Advantest edged lower.
As of 0146 GMT, the Nikkei was up 0.4 per cent at 42,676.30, after falling as much as 0.5 per cent earlier in the session.
The broader Topix rose 0.3 per cent to 3,079.01.
“The main focus is Nvidia. The market is waiting to see how the shares will perform on Wall Street later in the day,” said Takamasa Ikeda, senior portfolio manager at GCI Asset Management.
U.S.-based chipmaker Nvidia forecast third-quarter revenue above market estimates on Wednesday, helped by robust demand for its AI chips, but the stock fell 3 per cent in after-hours trading as its on-hold China business remained uncertain.
Nvidia shares are a key driver of Japan’s Nikkei, which is heavily weighted toward chip-related stocks. On Thursday, the index opened lower but reversed losses as chip-testing equipment maker Advantest pared its earlier decline.
Advantest was last down 0.22 per cent, after falling as much as 3.6 per cent earlier in the session.
Technology investor SoftBank Group rose 3.44 per cent, contributing the biggest boost to the Nikkei. Shares of chip-making equipment maker Tokyo Electron rose 0.71 per cent.
Cable maker Fujikura, a gauge for data centre investments, jumped 3 per cent..
Sompo Holdings jumped 4.49 per cent after the Japanese insurer said it would acquire New York-listed Aspen Insurance Holdings for about US$3.5 billion.
Energy explorers rose 3.25 per cent to become the top performers among the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s (TSE) 33 industry sub-indexes.
Uniqlo-brand owner Fast Retailing slipped 0.34 per cent to become the biggest drag for the Nikkei.
Of more than 1,600 stocks trading on the TSE’s prime market, 51 per cent advanced, 42 per cent fell, and 5 per cent traded flat.
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