According to ChainCatcher citing Reuters, the Nikkei 225 rose for a third consecutive trading day as data and corporate earnings revived optimism in the AI sector. A Reuters survey found Japan’s manufacturing confidence index reached a more than five-year high in November.

Despite declines in U.S. stocks, AI cloud company CoreWeave expects to become profitable in the first half of 2028. Nomura Securities strategist Wataru Akiyama said investors are watching Nvidia’s earnings next week, and strong results could lift shares of Japan’s AI-related companies.