An electronic stock board showing the Nikkei index in an office building on Monday
17:41 JST, May 11, 2026
The Nikkei 225 stock index rose more than 600 points from Friday’s close at one point on Monday, reaching 63,385.04 during the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s trading hours.
The Nikkei beat the intraday high of 63,091.14 recorded Thursday, but then dropped due to increasing concerns that the conflict in the Middle East may continue for some time.
On Monday, the evening session closed down 295.77 at 62,417.88.
Major U.S. stock indexes rose across the board at the end of last week after U.S. job growth topped market expectations, confirming the country’s economy was still robust. Technology stocks led gains in the U.S. markets.
In the Tokyo market, stocks rose for artificial intelligence and semiconductor firms, which have a significant impact on the Nikkei. That included stocks for major memory chip maker Kioxia Holdings Corp.
Shares also rose for companies that reported strong earnings, such as Ajinomoto Co. and Sony Group Corp.
Profit taking pushed down the Nikkei, a trend fueled partly by SoftBank Group Corp.
On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s response to a U.S. peace proposal on social media, calling it “totally unacceptable.” That prompted crude oil prices to rise as the outlook for future negotiations became unclear.
Investor confidence was weighed down by the increased uncertainty about the situation in the Middle East, according to an official at a major securities firm.