Nikkei Makes Biggest Jump in a Month as Omicron Fears Eased

Japan’s Nikkei index posted its biggest gain in more than a month on Tuesday, as concerns about the impact of the mutated Omicron strain of the coronavirus eased, encouraging investors to buy stocks such as SoftBank Group and travel-related shares.

The Nikkei average rose 1.89% to 28,455.60 points, its biggest percentage gain since November 1. The broader Topix index advanced 2.17 percent to 1989.85 points.

Japanese stocks also tracked the rally on Wall Street, as investors welcomed some positive comments from a senior US official regarding the latest pivot.

The share of SoftBank Group, the global investor in technology companies that caused the Nikkei’s decline in the previous session, jumped 7.94 percent, to be the biggest gainer on the index.

Shares Benefiting from the resumption of economic activities rose, as shares of airlines and railway service operators led the gains among the 33 sectoral sub-indices on the stock exchange, up 4.17 percent and 3.06 percent, respectively.