Japan’s Nikkei Rises for 6th Straight Session

The Nikkei 225 Index advanced 0.9% to above 66,900 on Monday, extending its winning streak to six sessions, with technology and artificial intelligence-related stocks driving the gains. Last week, AI shares outperformed as Meta Platforms’ new Muse AI agent renewed enthusiasm for the sector after earlier warnings from CEOs about rising safety risks associated with AI development. The rally came despite Treasury yields climbing to multi-decade highs amid expectations for additional Federal Reserve rate hikes. Meanwhile, oil prices rose after President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s latest proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while Tehran said it would not soften its conditions for reopening the key waterway. Elsewhere, the Chinese government has indicated it could allow some companies to purchase Nvidia Corp.’s new RTX Pro 5500 chips. Leading technology gainers in Japan included SoftBank Group (3.6%), Advantest (3.2%) and Taiyo Yuden (3.5%).