Japan's Topix gauge touches record high on easing debt concerns

Japan's broad ‍Topix gauge touched a record high on Friday, as easing concerns about ⁠the nation's debt gave shares a tailwind. Japan's Topix index reached a record high on Friday, buoyed by easing debt concerns and a record budget approval. The Topix reached an all-time intraday high of 3,436.75 in early trading before losing some momentum, closing up only ‌0.2% at ‌3,423.06. The blue-chip Nikkei index rose 0.7% to close at 50,750.39, capping a 2.5% ‌gain on the week and on course for a 26% surge in 2025. The cabinet on Friday approved a record budget for the next fiscal year, aiming to strike a balance between proactive fiscal policy and debt management. Benchmark Japanese government bonds (JGBs) gained slightly as expectations for restrained debt issuance ‌helped yields retreat ‍from a 26-year peak. The rebound in JGBs ‍came after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sought to ease ‌concerns over her massive stimulus plan, and a Reuters report said the government would likely reduce new issuance of super-long bonds next fiscal year. "This downward movement in interest rates may also be contributing positively to the Japanese stock market," said Maki Sawada, an equities strategist at Nomura ‍Securities. "With just three business days remaining, attention now focuses on whether the Nikkei can close above the ‍51,000 mark." There ⁠were 104 advancers ⁠on the Nikkei against 117 decliners. The largest gainers on the index were brewery Sapporo Holdings , up 2.5%, followed by Disco, a maker of precision cutting tools for semiconductors, which added 2.4%. The largest losers were Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd , down 4.4%, followed by Mitsui Kinzoku, a key supplier to the artificial intelligence sector, which sank 3%.

Preview: ~277 words