Overview
- By early Friday trade, the Nikkei was down 0.9% at 48,117.92 and the Topix fell 1.62% to 3,205.05 as investors booked gains ahead of a three-day weekend.
- On Thursday, the Nikkei closed at a record 48,580.44, with the Topix also finishing at an all-time high of 3,257.77 on strong technology and AI demand.
- SoftBank Group rose 11.4% Thursday after announcing the purchase of ABB’s robotics business, then fell 3.74% Friday; robotics peer Yaskawa Electric jumped as much as 10.5% during the rally.
- Fast Retailing climbed 6.3% after posting a record annual profit and guiding for a fifth consecutive record year.
- The yen stayed weak near ¥152–¥153 per dollar, aiding some exporters, while an RSI near 77 and uncertainty over Sanae Takaichi’s path to securing a governing coalition, with a possible PM vote delayed to Oct. 20, pointed to volatility risks.