The Nikkei 225 rose as much as 2.1% to 42,689.74 in early trade, exceeding the previous high of 42,426.77 set on July 11, 2024. In a roller-coaster ride in 2024, the Nikkei had exceeded a record that had stood since 1989 during Japan’s bubble economy.
Japan’s broader Topix has been setting successive record highs since July 24 and also scored a new all-time high on Tuesday.
The U.S. Standard & Poor’s 500 and MSCI’s broadest gauge of global equities have been charting new peaks since June.
Global equities tumbled after U.S. President Donald Trump’s April 2 “Liberation Day” announcement of sweeping tariffs on imports from dozens of countries into the U.S.
Shares have since more than recouped those losses as trade concerns abated and enthusiasm over artificial intelligence companies soared.