Nikkei Index Hits Another Record High in Two Days, Boosted by Stronger-Than-Expected Economic Growth

Three Record Highs Set This Week
Closed at 43,378, Up 1.71% from Previous Day

The Nikkei 225 Average, Japan's leading stock market index, broke its all-time high again after just two days.

Woman passing by the Nikkei index board. Photo by Yonhap News

On August 15, the Nikkei index closed at 43,378, up 1.71% from the previous day. This week alone, the Nikkei has set new record highs three times.

On this day, shares of SoftBank Group and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group rose significantly.

Kyodo News reported that bank-related stocks, which are expected to see improved earnings due to rising long-term interest rates, showed notable gains.

Nihon Keizai Shimbun explained that a surge in buying was driven by the announcement that Japan's real GDP grew by 0.3% in the second quarter, which led to a positive assessment of the Japanese economy and corporate performance.

Asahi Shimbun also analyzed that the higher-than-expected GDP growth rate and the reduced likelihood of an economic downturn due to U.S. tariff policies contributed to the upward trend of the Nikkei index.