Toronto Star
· collected 2026-10-05 · by Yuri Kageyama The Associated Press
Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index rose by 2.3% to reach 69,901.70 points in afternoon trading on Monday as easing concerns about inflation reduced the probability of an additional Federal Reserve rate hike. Stock prices remained stable in Sydney and Hong Kong while Japan saw gains particularly in AI-related stocks like Tokyo Electron and SoftBank Group. The article attributes this market movement to recent positive U.S. economic data, including lower-than-expected job growth numbers that suggest less pressure for further interest rate increases by the Federal Reserve.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Tokyo shares advanced on Monday, increasing by 2.3% to 69,901.70, marking a significant rise as investors were relieved over easing inflation concerns that reduce the likelihood of another Federal Reserve rate hike. This positive sentiment was also reflected in Japanese technology companies like Tokyo Electron and SoftBank Group, which saw gains of 5.2% and 3.1%, respectively. Meanwhile, stock markets in Sydney and Hong Kong showed little change with the S&P/ASX 200 up by less than 0.1% to 8,686.40, while the Hang Seng index remained virtually unchanged at 23,976.15. Shanghai and South Korea's markets were closed for national holidays. The optimism in Tokyo shares comes after last week’s positive U.S. job market data helped ease inflation worries, pushing U.S. stocks near record highs.
Written for “US Interest Rate Hike Odds Reduce” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
TOKYO (AP) — Tokyo shares advanced Monday at the start of a busy week for U.S. economic updates, while stock prices were little changed in Sydney and Hong Kong.
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prices → advance → Sydney
Investors have been encouraged by easing worries over inflation, which reduces the likelihood of another rate hike by the Federal Reserve.
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which → encourage → Reserve
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 jumped 2.3% in afternoon trading to 69,901.70.
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Nikkei → jump → 69,901.70
Earlier in the day, it marked its first foray above 70,000 points in three months.
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it → mark → months
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was little changed, edging up less than 0.1% to 8,686.40.
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S&P → edge → 8,686.40
Trading was closed in Shanghai and South Korea for national holidays.
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Trading → close → holidays
Interest in shares related to artificial intelligence drew buying interest.
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Interest → relate → interest
In Japan, Tokyo Electron gained 5.2% and technology investment giant SoftBank Group’s shares gained 3.1%.
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shares → gain → %
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., or TSMC, climbed 3%.
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Co. → climb → ?
Last week, U.S. stocks finished near an all-time high after the latest update on the U.S. job market helped to alleviate worries about higher inflation.
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update → finish → inflation
The S&P 500 rose 0.7% and pulled within 1% of its record set in August.
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S&P → rise → August
The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 1.2%.
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composite → add → %
The U.S. government said employers across the country added 29,000 more jobs to their payrolls than they cut last month.
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they → say → payrolls
That was fewer than economists expected and a slowdown from August’s net hiring rate of 133,000.
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economists → expect → 133,000
Markets took that to mean the Federal Reserve will be less likely to raise its benchmark rate.
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Reserve → take → rate
The Federal Reserve recently raised its main interest rate for the first time in three years to try to rein in the painful increases for the cost of living.
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Reserve → raise → living
The pullback in expectations for an October rate hike helped calm the bond market.
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pullback → calm → market
The yield on the 10-year Treasury briefly dropped all the way below 5.17%.
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yield → drop → %
That was down from its peak near 5.35% on Thursday, when it and other longer-term yields neared their highest levels in two decades.
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it → near → decades
The 10-year Treasury yield bounced back to 5.28%, more than 0.10 percentage points above its bottom for the day.
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yield → bounce → day
That in turn helped U.S. stocks pare their own gains.
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stocks → help → gains
In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude lost 1.55% to $89.70 a barrel.
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crude → lose → 89.70
Brent crude, the international standard, declined 0.99% to $101.24.
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crude → decline → 101.24
Oil prices have been yo-yoing lately amid uncertainty about how the war with Iran will reshape the global oil industry.
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war → yoe → industry
In currency trading in Asia Monday, the U.S. dollar fell to 157.76 Japanese yen from 157.83 yen.
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dollar → fall → yen
The euro cost $1.1189, down from $1.1257.
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euro → cost → 1.1257
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