Nikkei 225 Surpasses 45,000 Intraday for First Time, Closes at Record High (Comprehensive)

On September 16, the Nikkei 225 Average Price Index, the benchmark stock index of the Japanese stock market, surpassed the 45,000 mark for the first time during intraday trading, once again setting an all-time high. The index closed at 44,902, up 0.30% from the previous trading day, also marking a record closing high.

Earlier in the session, the Nikkei 225 briefly rose as high as 45,055.

AFP Yonhap News

Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) explained that the strong performance of major indices in the U.S. stock market on the 15th (local time) had an impact. On that day, the Dow Jones 30 Industrial Average, which focuses on blue-chip stocks, closed at 45,883.45, up 49.23 points (0.11%) from the previous session. The S&P 500 Index, which tracks large-cap stocks, rose 30.99 points (0.47%) to close at 6,615.28, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Index jumped 207.647 points (0.94%) to end at 22,348.749, with all indices showing gains.

Nikkei also noted that expectations for progress in high-level U.S.-China trade negotiations and the prospect of an interest rate cut by the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) served as positive factors. The market anticipates that the Fed will lower its interest rate by 0.25 percentage points at the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting scheduled for this week.

The Nikkei 225 has continued its upward momentum recently, repeatedly setting new record highs, including last week.