Japanese shares rise for fourth day on earnings, rising US yields

TOKYO: Japanese shares rose for a fourth straight session on Wednesday thanks to brisk earnings from Bridgestone and other firms, while bank stocks received support from rising US bond yields.

The Nikkei share average rose 0.52% to 28,034.30, its highest level since July 16, though it could face resistance at around 28,300 from its downward-sloping trendline since mid-June.

The broader Topix gained 0.87% to 1,953.12, also hitting a high last seen in mid-July, with upbeat earnings aiding market sentiment.

Tokyo stocks close lower

Bridgestone jumped 6.3% after the tyre maker reported strong quarterly earnings and an upbeat annual profit outlook.

Asahi Group Holdings gained 2.5% after the beverage firm saw a stronger-than-expected recovery in April-June earnings.

Ulvac soared 7.3% to a three-year high after the vacuum devices maker posted strong growth and announced a dividend hike.

Staffing service company Persol Holdings jumped 6.8% on surprisingly strong quarterly profit and a dividend hike plan.

Banks gained 2.7% as US bond yields rose to one-month highs after the US Senate passed a massive infrastructure bill. Japanese bank shares are highly correlated to US yields because of their large investment in US debt.

Higher US yields also benefit Japanese shares because they tend to cheapen the yen and boost exporters' profit, though in recent years analysts have noted those relations appear to have weakened considerably.

Softbank Group dipped 0.9%, failing to sustain early gains following its earnings announcement and after Chief Executive Masayoshi Son said it would pause Chinese investments as it waits for regulatory action against the country's tech firms to play out.

"Its earnings weren't bad but there's still uncertainty on China's regulation drives. In short, its earnings didn't produce any strong reason to sell, but there isn't a strong case to buy it either," said Masayuki Doshida, senior strategist at Rakuten Securities.