By Mucahithan Avcioglu
ISTANBUL (AA) - Japan's Nikkei stock index finished the day reaching an all-time high for the second time in a row on Thursday, after big tech stocks attracted purchases as investors hoped for extensive growth in the artificial intelligence market.
The benchmark index gained 1.22%, or 534.83 points, to close the day at 44,372.50.
The information and communication, nonferrous metal and mining issues stocks were among the top performers on the Prime Market, according to the Kyodo news agency.
The yen mostly moved narrowly against the US dollar to the lower 147-yen range in Tokyo.
Record overnight closes of the US Nasdaq and S&P 500 indexes, along with a 36% increase in the US tech giant Oracle due to its positive business forecast, sparked an active purchase of tech stocks.
AI-related stocks, such as SoftBank Group and Advantest, and semiconductor stocks had the biggest increases among tech issues. Advantest closed up 4.4%, while SoftBank Group surged 10%.
Meanwhile, the unexpected decline in the US producer inflation bolstered expectations of a September rate cut by the US Federal Reserve.
Producer inflation is an important indicator of the consumer inflation, which will be announced today. Fed considers the inflation figures and employment when determining the monetary policy decisions.