Nikkei 225 — daily market movers
Macro backdrop
The Nikkei 225 jumped 2.12% to close near 66,399, a record high, as chip shares led the rebound. The rally was a semiconductor and AI-hardware trade: Friday's Philadelphia Semiconductor Index gain of over 3% (Nvidia, AMD, Marvell) spilled into Asian chip names, lifting Japanese and South Korean supply-chain stocks in tandem (KOSPI also rallied sharply). Breadth was narrower than the headline suggests — the broader TOPIX rose only 0.55%, well behind the Nikkei — as index-heavyweight semiconductor names did the heavy lifting.
Top 10 gainers
| # | Ticker | Company / business | Change | Likely Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9984.T | SoftBank Group Investment holding company owning Arm, the Vision Fund AI portfolio and a Japanese telecom | +11.22% | Outsized move as the market's premier AI-investment proxy (Arm, OpenAI exposure) amplified the broad chip rally; closed well above intraday levels. |
| 2 | 285A.T | Kioxia Holdings NAND flash memory chipmaker, formerly Toshiba Memory | +9.31% | Rode AI-driven memory demand optimism; global memory peers SK Hynix and Samsung also surged on the same day. |
| 3 | 4062.T | Ibiden Maker of IC package substrates and ceramic components for advanced chips | +8.42% | Benefited from AI-accelerator packaging demand; a key substrate supplier into the Nvidia-led AI chip build-out. |
| 4 | 6963.T | Rohm Power semiconductors and integrated circuits | +7.77% | Broad semiconductor bid; chip names were bought across the board on the US SOX spillover. |
| 5 | 6920.T | Lasertec EUV photomask inspection and semiconductor test equipment | +7.26% | Semi-equipment strength on renewed AI chip-capex optimism; high-beta name to the sector rally. |
| 6 | 4004.T | Resonac Holdings Chemicals group and supplier of semiconductor materials (formerly Showa Denko) | +6.76% | Semiconductor-materials play caught the chip bid as investors chased the AI supply chain. |
| 7 | 6752.T | Panasonic Holdings Electronics, batteries and electronic components | +6.20% | Rode the broad electronics/tech rally; no confirmed standalone catalyst on the day. |
| 8 | 6981.T | Murata Manufacturing Multilayer ceramic capacitors and electronic components | +5.97% | Electronic-components demand tied to the AI and electronics upcycle lifted the shares with the group. |
| 9 | 4043.T | Tokuyama Chemicals maker; polysilicon and semiconductor-grade materials | +4.95% | Semi-materials name swept up in the chip rally; polysilicon/materials exposure to the AI cycle. |
| 10 | 6146.T | Disco Precision semiconductor dicing and grinding equipment | +4.94% | Semi-equipment strength on AI chip-capex optimism; benefits from rising advanced-packaging volumes. |
- 1. 9984.T+11.22%SoftBank GroupInvestment holding company owning Arm, the Vision Fund AI portfolio and a Japanese telecomOutsized move as the market's premier AI-investment proxy (Arm, OpenAI exposure) amplified the broad chip rally; closed well above intraday levels.
- 2. 285A.T+9.31%Kioxia HoldingsNAND flash memory chipmaker, formerly Toshiba MemoryRode AI-driven memory demand optimism; global memory peers SK Hynix and Samsung also surged on the same day.
- 3. 4062.T+8.42%IbidenMaker of IC package substrates and ceramic components for advanced chipsBenefited from AI-accelerator packaging demand; a key substrate supplier into the Nvidia-led AI chip build-out.
- 4. 6963.T+7.77%RohmPower semiconductors and integrated circuitsBroad semiconductor bid; chip names were bought across the board on the US SOX spillover.
- 5. 6920.T+7.26%LasertecEUV photomask inspection and semiconductor test equipmentSemi-equipment strength on renewed AI chip-capex optimism; high-beta name to the sector rally.
- 6. 4004.T+6.76%Resonac HoldingsChemicals group and supplier of semiconductor materials (formerly Showa Denko)Semiconductor-materials play caught the chip bid as investors chased the AI supply chain.
- 7. 6752.T+6.20%Panasonic HoldingsElectronics, batteries and electronic componentsRode the broad electronics/tech rally; no confirmed standalone catalyst on the day.
- 8. 6981.T+5.97%Murata ManufacturingMultilayer ceramic capacitors and electronic componentsElectronic-components demand tied to the AI and electronics upcycle lifted the shares with the group.
- 9. 4043.T+4.95%TokuyamaChemicals maker; polysilicon and semiconductor-grade materialsSemi-materials name swept up in the chip rally; polysilicon/materials exposure to the AI cycle.
- 10. 6146.T+4.94%DiscoPrecision semiconductor dicing and grinding equipmentSemi-equipment strength on AI chip-capex optimism; benefits from rising advanced-packaging volumes.
Common Themes
All ten gainers sit squarely in the semiconductor and electronics supply chain — memory (Kioxia), substrates and materials (Ibiden, Resonac, Tokuyama), equipment (Lasertec, Disco), chipmakers (Rohm), components (Murata) and the AI-investment proxy SoftBank. The single common thread is a global chip rally: Friday's Philadelphia Semiconductor Index gain of over 3% carried into Asia, and Japanese AI supply-chain names moved almost in lockstep with Korean peers. SoftBank's +11% stands out as an amplified version of the same trade rather than a separate story, given its Arm and OpenAI exposure.
Top 10 losers
| # | Ticker | Company / business | Change | Likely Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3697.T | SHIFT Inc Software testing and quality-assurance services | -5.91% | Domestic high-multiple software name sold as money rotated toward semiconductors; no clear standalone catalyst. |
| 2 | 4902.T | Konica Minolta Office imaging, printing and healthcare IT | -5.65% | Old-tech laggard; caught in the rotation out of non-AI names on a narrow, chip-led session. |
| 3 | 4307.T | Nomura Research Institute IT consulting and system integration | -5.61% | IT-services rotation loser as investors crowded into semiconductors; likely profit-taking. |
| 4 | 6532.T | BayCurrent Management and IT consulting | -5.38% | High-multiple consulting name sold in the risk rotation toward cyclical chip stocks; no standalone news found. |
| 5 | 4704.T | Trend Micro Cybersecurity software | -5.38% | Software-sector rotation loser; funds shifted from defensives into the AI chip trade. |
| 6 | 2413.T | M3 Inc Online medical-information and services platform for doctors | -4.81% | Growth/defensive healthcare-tech name sold as the session favored semiconductors; no clear catalyst. |
| 7 | 6701.T | NEC Corporation IT services, networks and public-sector systems | -4.52% | IT-services name rotated out of on a chip-led day; likely profit-taking after a strong run. |
| 8 | 7832.T | Bandai Namco Holdings Toys, video games and entertainment content | -3.97% | Consumer/content name lagged badly as the rally concentrated in semiconductors. |
| 9 | 4324.T | Dentsu Group Advertising and marketing services | -3.48% | Domestic services laggard in a narrow, chip-driven tape; no standalone catalyst identified. |
| 10 | 4519.T | Chugai Pharmaceutical Biopharmaceuticals; Roche group affiliate | -3.40% | Defensive pharma sold in the risk-on rotation toward cyclical semiconductor names. |
- 1. 3697.T-5.91%SHIFT IncSoftware testing and quality-assurance servicesDomestic high-multiple software name sold as money rotated toward semiconductors; no clear standalone catalyst.
- 2. 4902.T-5.65%Konica MinoltaOffice imaging, printing and healthcare ITOld-tech laggard; caught in the rotation out of non-AI names on a narrow, chip-led session.
- 3. 4307.T-5.61%Nomura Research InstituteIT consulting and system integrationIT-services rotation loser as investors crowded into semiconductors; likely profit-taking.
- 4. 6532.T-5.38%BayCurrentManagement and IT consultingHigh-multiple consulting name sold in the risk rotation toward cyclical chip stocks; no standalone news found.
- 5. 4704.T-5.38%Trend MicroCybersecurity softwareSoftware-sector rotation loser; funds shifted from defensives into the AI chip trade.
- 6. 2413.T-4.81%M3 IncOnline medical-information and services platform for doctorsGrowth/defensive healthcare-tech name sold as the session favored semiconductors; no clear catalyst.
- 7. 6701.T-4.52%NEC CorporationIT services, networks and public-sector systemsIT-services name rotated out of on a chip-led day; likely profit-taking after a strong run.
- 8. 7832.T-3.97%Bandai Namco HoldingsToys, video games and entertainment contentConsumer/content name lagged badly as the rally concentrated in semiconductors.
- 9. 4324.T-3.48%Dentsu GroupAdvertising and marketing servicesDomestic services laggard in a narrow, chip-driven tape; no standalone catalyst identified.
- 10. 4519.T-3.40%Chugai PharmaceuticalBiopharmaceuticals; Roche group affiliateDefensive pharma sold in the risk-on rotation toward cyclical semiconductor names.
Common Themes
The decliners share no single stock-specific catalyst; the common thread is sector rotation. With the Nikkei up 2.12% but TOPIX up only 0.55%, breadth was narrow and money flowed out of domestic-facing, defensive and high-multiple non-AI names — software and IT services (SHIFT, NRI, BayCurrent, Trend Micro, NEC), healthcare (M3, Chugai), consumer/content (Bandai Namco) and advertising (Dentsu) — into the semiconductor complex. None of the ten showed obvious idiosyncratic bad news; the moves read as funding sources for the chip rally rather than fundamental deterioration.
Overall read
Today was a textbook risk-on, semiconductor-led session in Tokyo: capital rotated hard into the AI and chip supply chain — memory, substrates, materials and equipment, with SoftBank as the standout — and out of defensive and domestic-facing software, services, healthcare and consumer names. The narrow Nikkei-versus-TOPIX gap underscores that this was a concentrated AI-hardware trade imported from US chip strength, not a broad-based advance.