Japan’s Nikkei index climbed to a fresh record high on Monday, supported by strong gains in heavyweight technology shares, including SoftBank Group. However, trading opened without clear direction before the benchmark gathered momentum later in the session.
The Nikkei rose 0.5% to 59,644.37 points. Meanwhile, the broader Topix index declined 0.6% to 3,747.69 points, reflecting weaker performance across the wider market.
Heavyweight stocks provided the main support for the Nikkei. Moreover, SoftBank Group surged 9.3%, while chip-testing equipment maker Advantest gained 2.2%. As a result, the two stocks contributed around 385 and 156 points to the index, respectively.
Market breadth remained negative despite the record close. Additionally, only 42 stocks advanced on the Nikkei, while 181 declined, highlighting uneven investor participation.
