Asian Markets Rise After Tech Rally on Wall Street: Nikkei Climbs to 64,622 Points

Japan's Nikkei 225 closed on September 4, 2026 with a gain of 1.3% at 65,021 points after technology stocks posted significant gains on Wall Street. During the trading session, the Japanese benchmark index temporarily climbed 0.6% to 64,622 points before continuing to advance through the close.

Tech Stocks Drive US Trading Despite Negative Overall Balance

On Wall Street on September 4, 2026, tech stocks delivered strong performance while broad indices closed in the red. The S&P 500 fell 0.3%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 245 points or 0.5%, and the Nasdaq Composite declined 0.2%.

Daily gainers in the tech sector included several semiconductor and hardware manufacturers. Nvidia rose 1.4%, Advanced Micro Devices gained 4.2%, while SanDisk jumped 10.4%, particularly strong. Micron Technology gained 4.6%.

Sportswear maker Lululemon Athletica, by contrast, plunged 17.4% after the company reported quarterly revenues below analyst expectations and lowered guidance for the current fiscal year.

Strong US Jobs Report Exceeds Expectations Significantly

The US Department of Labor reported on September 4, 2026 that the American economy created 162,000 new jobs in August. Economists had expected only 65,000 new positions according to a FactSet survey. Additionally, the department revised figures for June and July upward, adding 55,000 positions. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.1%.

Terry Sandven, chief equity strategist at U.S. Bank Asset Management Group, stated: "Today's jobs report speaks to a rate increase by the Fed," but added that an increase "is not a done deal." Jeffrey Roach, chief economist at LPL Financial, assessed the situation more definitively: "Given the strength of the employment report, a rate increase on September 16 appears increasingly likely."

Rate Increase Moves Closer: Inflation Above 3 Percent

The inflation rate in the US remains well above 3%, driven by rising oil prices related to the US conflict with Iran. The Federal Reserve targets an inflation rate of 2%.

In the bond market, yields moved mostly higher following the jobs report. The yield on the two-year US Treasury note rose from 4.34% to 4.36% on September 4, 2026. This maturity is particularly sensitive to expectations regarding the Federal Reserve's interest rate policy. At the start of 2026, the two-year yield had been at 3.50%.

The yield on the ten-year US Treasury note fell slightly from 4.77% to 4.76%. This bond influences mortgage rates among other things and had been at 4.20% at the start of 2026.

Mixed Picture at Asian Stock Exchanges

While the Nikkei 225 advanced significantly, developments at other Asian trading venues on September 4, 2026 were mixed. South Korea's Kospi closed with a gain of 1.6% at 6,687 points, though some sources recorded an increase of 1.7% to 6,691 points.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 performed more weakly, declining 0.2% to 9,006 points. Earlier in trading, the index had been nearly flat at 9,012 points.

The tech rally on Wall Street provided particular tailwinds to export-oriented markets in Japan and South Korea, as investors assessed the implications of a robust US labor market for future monetary policy. The tension between sustained strong job growth and the Federal Reserve's efforts to combat inflation through possible rate increases before year-end shaped market sentiment in the region.