Japan’s Nikkei share average has risen to a record high, powered by renewed optimism for a near-term peace deal in the Middle East and enthusiasm about AI shares, Reuters reports.

The Nikkei notched a lifetime-high close by climbing 2.5pc to 66,329.50, and also marked an all-time intraday peak at 66,505.02.

The broader Topix advanced 1.4pc to 3,957.17, also a record close, and set a new intraday high at 3,984.58.

The Nikkei outperformed largely due to a high concentration of tech stocks, and heavy weighting for some darlings of the AI trade, such as startup investor SoftBank Group, which gained 5.1pc today to bring its advance for the week to 10.9pc.

Opinion

Editorial

Talks, at last
Updated 03 Oct, 2026

Talks, at last

The government’s constant threats to suspend KP’s elected dispensation over a political protest have escalated hostilities considerably. In that context, both sides did well to start talking.
IWT’s future
Updated 03 Oct, 2026

IWT’s future

TOGETHER with the Kashmir dispute, India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty has become the biggest...
Pained minds
03 Oct, 2026

Pained minds

IN Pakistan, mental healthcare is wedged between two extremes — a luxury or a stigma. Estimates cited by the...
Risks ahead
Updated 02 Oct, 2026

Risks ahead

To think that the government would rather push out an elected government than grant a single prisoner some facilities does not square up rationally.
Exit from Iraq
02 Oct, 2026

Exit from Iraq

AMERICAN and British troops have once again shipped out of Iraq. On Wednesday, the foreign forces left the Arab...
Lahore’s ozone warning
02 Oct, 2026

Lahore’s ozone warning

LAHORE has received another warning that its air pollution crisis cannot be treated as a problem that begins with...