Published on 09/10/2026 at 03:09 am EDT
(Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average recovered from early losses to end slightly higher on Thursday, as investors waited for a slate of key market events in coming days, from closely watched U.S. inflation data to a Bank of Japan policy decision.
The Nikkei finished up 0.2% at 65,270.95, a reversal from a 0.8% decline at the midday break, when traders took cues from Wall Street's overnight declines as fighting intensified in the Middle East.
The broader Topix climbed 0.2% to 4,054.58.
Brent crude topped $100 per barrel as Iran said it had attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. sank five Iranian oil tankers.
That stoked inflation concerns and boosted expectations that central banks worldwide would need to tighten policy.
Investors are also likely to "adopt a cautious stance" ahead of U.S. consumer price data on Friday, a Federal Reserve policy decision on Wednesday, and the BOJ policy decision on September 18, said Wataru Akiyama, a Nomura Securities strategist.
At the same time, "given that the outlook for solid earnings growth among Japanese companies -- particularly those in the AI and semiconductor sectors -- remains intact for the time being, it is entirely possible that we may see some buying on dips," he said.
Winners and losers were almost evenly split on the Nikkei, with 110 of its 225 components rising versus 112 that fell, while three ended flat.
Securities firms and banks were among the best performers in the Tokyo Stock Exchange's 33 industry groups, gaining 2.5% and 2.0%, respectively, buoyed by higher interest rates.
Some chip-related shares outperformed, with Advantest rising 3.3% and Lasertec adding 3.0%.
The recovery in Japanese tech shares mirrored gains for South Korea's KOSPI, which has become a touchstone for the sector due to memory chip heavyweights SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics.
Nintendo was among the Nikkei's biggest losers, down 4.9%.
(Reporting by Kevin Buckland; Editing by Harikrishnan Nair and Subhranshu Sahu)

Sumber : Reuters