Japan Market Daily | Kabutaro & Friends

On May 11, 2026, the Nikkei 225 briefly hit a fresh intraday record high, surging over 600 yen to surpass 63,091, before retreating to close down 295 yen at 62,417 due to profit-taking and rising oil futures fueled by uncertainty in Iran. While the S&P 500 reached a record high in the U.S. on strong labor data and tech gains from companies like Intel, geopolitical risks persisted after President Trump rejected Iran's latest response. In response, Japan's State Minister of Economy Yamada visited the Middle East to secure stable oil supplies and propose the "POWERR Asia" initiative to bolster regional energy resilience. Meanwhile, Chinese markets saw a surge in the semiconductor materials sector, with electronic gas suppliers hitting daily limits as AI demand and global supply constraints intensified, highlighting a robust focus on high-tech self-reliance amidst broader geopolitical volatility.