Japan’s benchmark index notched a record high on Thursday, mirroring gains on Wall Street overnight on Fed-rate cut hopes and positive inflation data.
In Japan, the Nikkei popped 534.83 points, or 1.2%, to 44,372.50.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng deducted 113.94 points, or 0.4%, to 26,086.32.
One of Nikkei 255's heavyweights, tech investment firm SoftBank Group, jumped past 10% to notch a second straight day of gains. It follows a Wall Street Journal report that OpenAI struck a roughly $300-billion, five-year cloud-computing deal with Oracle, citing sources familiar with the matter.
SoftBank’s link to Oracle stems from their joint role in the high-profile Stargate program, a $500 billion U.S. initiative announced in January by U.S. President Donald Trump alongside OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Oracle’s Larry Ellison and SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son.
Energy and utilities stocks led gains on the Nikkei 225. Mitsui Mining and Smelting rose more than 5% while electrical components manufacturer Fujikura traded 4% higher. Meanwhile, the Topix index reversed course to climb 0.2%.
In other markets
In Shanghai, the CSI 300 climbed 102.67 points, or 2.3%, to 4,548.03.
In Singapore, the Straits Times index edged higher 9.36 points, or 0.2%, to 4,355.82
In Korea, the Kospi gained 29.67 points, or 0.9%, to 3,344.20, its highest close on record.
In Taiwan, the Taiex index acquired 23.12 points, or 0.1%, to 25,215.71
In New Zealand, the NZX 50 slumped 47.09 points, or 0.4%, to 13,229.15.
In Australia, the ASX 200 fell 25.4 points, or 0.3%, to 8,805.03
