| The Nikkei 225 closed slightly higher on Thursday, edging up 0.06% to 64,217 after swinging sharply during the day. The index had dropped nearly 3% earlier before recovering as news of completed U.S. strikes on Iran raised hopes that peace talks might resume. Even with the rebound, tech shares stayed under pressure due to worries about stretched AI valuations, which continue to weigh on Japanese firms tied to the global AI boom. Domestically, investors are watching the Bank of Japan, which is expected to raise interest rates next week to tackle soaring energy costs linked to the Middle East conflict. On the corporate front, Kioxia Holdings (+7%), Taiyo Yuden (+6.2%), and Murata Manufacturing (+3.7%) posted strong gains. Meanwhile, SoftBank Group (-1.4%), Fujikura (-1.2%), and Toyota Motor (-2.4%) ended lower. Powered by Capital Market - Live News |