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Nikkei 225 · Japan^N225
Japan's 225-stock gauge — price-weighted like the Dow, and a nightly tell on Asian risk.
Past week: +4.38%
30-day price
Where the chart sits — description, not prediction
Trading above both its 50-day (62,983.77) and 200-day (53,722.11) averages — the longer-term trend reads as up. 30-day range 59,804.41–72,353.96; currently in the upper third of that range. RSI(14) 67 — momentum firm.
Computed from daily closing prices (Yahoo Finance), June 23, 2026. Compare all markets →
What is Nikkei 225 · Japan?
The Nikkei 225 is Japan's most-watched benchmark, tracking 225 of the most liquid blue-chips on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's Prime Market. It is published by Nikkei Inc. (the newspaper group) and reviewed annually in the autumn, behaving more like a sentiment gauge of corporate Japan than a comprehensive market index.
Its quirk is the weighting: like the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the Nikkei is price-weighted, so a stock's share price — not its size — sets its pull. High-priced names like Fast Retailing (Uniqlo), Tokyo Electron and Advantest move it far more than larger companies with lower share prices, and the top ten are roughly 40% of the index. Tokyo trades while the US sleeps (its session wraps by ~2:00 AM ET), so the Nikkei close is a pre-market read US traders check each morning.
What has moved Nikkei 225 · Japan
1989 bubble peak: 38,915 on 29 Dec 1989
At the height of Japan's asset bubble the Nikkei closed at an all-time high of 38,915 on 29 December 1989. The Bank of Japan then hiked rates hard; by August 1992 the index had fallen 63%, beginning Japan's 'Lost Decades' of stagnation.
Record reclaimed after 34 years: 22 Feb 2024
On 22 February 2024 the Nikkei closed at 39,099, finally clearing its 1989 record after 34 years, powered by a semiconductor surge, a weak yen lifting exporters and corporate-governance reform pushing up returns.
Biggest-ever point drop: -12.4% on 5 Aug 2024
On 5 August 2024 the Nikkei fell 4,451 points (-12.4%), its largest-ever point drop and steepest percentage fall since 1987, after a surprise Bank of Japan rate hike strengthened the yen and forced a violent unwind of the global 'yen carry trade'.
Black Monday spillover: -14.9% on 20 Oct 1987
When Wall Street crashed 22.6% on 19 October 1987, Tokyo opened next morning and the Nikkei fell about 14.9% (3,836 points) — a textbook example of how tightly overnight US contagion links to Asia.
Notable moments
The Uniqlo effect
Because the index is price-weighted, Fast Retailing (Uniqlo's parent) has at times been ~10% of the Nikkei despite other firms being far larger by market value. A single big move in its share price can swing the index by hundreds of points.
34 years to break even
An investor who bought at the December 1989 peak waited until February 2024 — over 34 years — just to get back to even on price. At the 2003 low the Nikkei was down about 80% from that peak.
Common questions
Why is the Nikkei price-weighted instead of cap-weighted?
It was designed in 1950, modelled on the Dow, when price-weighting was standard before computers made cap-weighting practical. The method never changed, so high share-price stocks wield outsized influence regardless of company size.
What time does it trade in US Eastern?
Tokyo runs roughly 8:00-10:30 PM and 11:30 PM-2:00 AM ET the prior evening, closing about eight hours before the NYSE opens — so US traders see the full Nikkei close pre-market. Educational only, not investment advice.
How exposed is it to the yen?
Heavily — many top members are exporters whose overseas earnings convert back to yen. A weaker yen inflates their profits and lifts shares; a stronger yen does the reverse, as the 2024 carry-trade crash showed.
Is the Nikkei the only major Japanese index?
No — the TOPIX tracks all Prime Market stocks and is cap-weighted, so it is broader and many professionals prefer it for benchmarking. The Nikkei is more famous internationally for its history and brand.