Japan's Nikkei 225 closes up 348.41 points, or 0.90%, at 38,885.15 on Wednesday

Japan's Nikkei 225 closes up 348.41 points, or 0.90%, at 38,885.15 on Wednesday

The Nikkei 225 index closed up 348.41 points, or 0.90%, at 38,885.15 on Wednesday, June 17, 2025. This positive performance comes amid ongoing trade talks between the US and Japan, which are expected to lead to tariff concessions. The broader Topix index also rallied 1.14% to 2,559 [3].

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) maintained its interest rate at 0.5% as expected, but announced plans to slow down its bond purchases starting in April 2026 [4]. This decision was made to address rising uncertainties in financial markets and global trade policies. The BOJ also stated that it is prepared to adjust its bond purchase reduction plan if necessary.

Corporate news played a significant role in the day's market movements. Chugai Pharmaceuticals surged 17.5% after its drug for weight loss showed similar performance to Ozempic [3]. Additionally, T-Mobile US (NASDAQ: TMUS) saw its shares drop by nearly 4.75% after Japan’s SoftBank Group (TYO: 9984) sold a significant portion of its holdings to fund its AI ambitions [5].

The Nikkei 225 index has decreased 5164 points or 12.94% since the beginning of 2025, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks this benchmark index from Japan [3]. Historically, the Japan Stock Market Index (JP225) reached an all-time high of 42,438.00 in July 2024.

References:
[1] https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/.N225
[2] https://www.moomoo.com/news/post/65004661/record-tr4cking-news-palantir-amd-nvidia-sunrun-enphase-verve-therapeutics-t-mobile-lennar
[3] https://tradingeconomics.com/japan/stock-market
[4] https://forex.tradingcharts.com/international_financial_news/japan_holds_rate_expected_set_06172025_0077.html
[5] https://ih.advfn.com/market-news/article/11392/t-mobile-shares-slip-after-softbank-offloads-4-8-billion-stake-to-fuel-ai-push