TOKYO: Japan’s Nikkei share average rose to a record high on Friday, powered by renewed optimism for a near-term peace deal in the Middle East and enthusiasm about AI shares after strong earnings from Dell Technologies.
The Nikkei notched a lifetime-high close by climbing 2.5 percent to 66,329.50, and also marked an all-time intraday peak at 66,505.02.
The broader Topix advanced 1.4 percent to 3,957.17, also a record close, and set a new intraday high at 3,984.58.
Sources told Reuters that the US and Iran have reached an agreement to extend their ceasefire and lift restrictions on shipping, though US President Donald Trump has yet to approve it, and Iranian state media said it had not been finalised. Conflicting headlines in recent days around progress in negotiations between Washington and Tehran have seen stocks swing, but for the week, the Nikkei and Topix gained 4.7 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively.
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