The Nikkei 225 Index rose 1.1% to surpass 39,300, while the broader Topix Index climbed 0.9% to 2,757 on Thursday, extending the previous session's gains. Nearly all sectors participated in the rally, fueled by a strong corporate earnings season that lifted market sentiment in Japan. This came despite a rise in producer inflation, which reached a 20-month high in January. Japanese stocks also brushed off the hotter-than-expected US consumer inflation data, which strengthened the case for the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates steady. Among the top performers were Advantest (+3.6%), Lasertec (+3%), IHI Corp (+2%), Mitsubishi UFJ (+1.4%), and Toyota Motor (+2%). However, SoftBank Group saw a sharp decline, falling 3.7% after reporting a quarterly loss of $2.4 billion for the three months ending December, driven by a slump in tech valuations at its Vision Fund.(Cay0

Source: Trading Economi