Japanese Shares Rebound as Banks, Retailers Lift

The Nikkei 225 advanced 2.33% to close at 58,775 on Monday, recovering some of last week’s sharp losses as market sentiment improved, with financial and consumer-oriented stocks driving the rebound. Major banking shares posted strong gains, led by Mizuho Financial (5.1%), Mitsubishi UFJ (4.4%) and Sumitomo Mitsui (3.9%). Retailers and automakers also performed well, with Fast Retailing rising 3.7%, Nintendo climbing 5.2% and Toyota Motor gaining 4.6%. Last week, the Nikkei tumbled more than 9%, recording its steepest weekly decline since the COVID-19-induced market selloff in March 2020. The downturn was triggered by the Democrats’ sweeping victory in the US midterm elections, which heightened concerns over stricter AI industry regulations and a potential slowdown in data center expansion. With substantial exposure to the global AI infrastructure boom, Japanese technology companies remain particularly susceptible to further weakness in the sector.