The Tokyo Stock Exchange marked its last trading day of the year with a ceremony on Monday. The benchmark Nikkei Stock Average ended the day at 39,894, a record high for a final-day close.
During the ceremony, Yamaji Hiromi, the CEO of the Japan Exchange Group that owns the exchange's operator, said that 2024 was a year of significant growth.
Share prices rose in the first half of the year, as people's interest in investing increased after the NISA tax-free investment program was expanded in January.
In July, the benchmark index closed at an all-time high of 42,224. The upward trend was driven by the yen's historic depreciation and growing expectations of exporting companies.
But market optimism completely changed after the Bank of Japan decided on an additional rate hike. US employment figures released immediately afterward were worse than expected, sending the market into a panic.
On August 5, the Nikkei average plunged 4,451 points in a single day. The fall was even bigger than the Black Monday crash of 1987.
Stock prices remained solid with such developments as the inauguration of a new government under Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election.
In late December, the closing price recovered to the 40,000 level for the first time in five months.
Meanwhile, observers say the benefits of high stock prices and a weak yen have not trickled down to households and small businesses. They say larger and broader wage increases are needed to keep up with the cost of living, which may rise further due to the weakening of the yen.
During the ceremony, Yamaji Hiromi, the CEO of the Japan Exchange Group that owns the exchange's operator, said that 2024 was a year of significant growth.
Share prices rose in the first half of the year, as people's interest in investing increased after the NISA tax-free investment program was expanded in January.
In July, the benchmark index closed at an all-time high of 42,224. The upward trend was driven by the yen's historic depreciation and growing expectations of exporting companies.
But market optimism completely changed after the Bank of Japan decided on an additional rate hike. US employment figures released immediately afterward were worse than expected, sending the market into a panic.
On August 5, the Nikkei average plunged 4,451 points in a single day. The fall was even bigger than the Black Monday crash of 1987.
Stock prices remained solid with such developments as the inauguration of a new government under Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election.
In late December, the closing price recovered to the 40,000 level for the first time in five months.
Meanwhile, observers say the benefits of high stock prices and a weak yen have not trickled down to households and small businesses. They say larger and broader wage increases are needed to keep up with the cost of living, which may rise further due to the weakening of the yen.
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Summary
Tokyo Stock Exchange closed its 2021 year with a record high, 39,894 on Nikkei Stock Average. The year saw significant growth, with share prices rising post-expansion of NISA tax-free investment program. The benchmark reached an all-time high in July due to yen depreciation and export
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ID: c6a15b27-5000-4d10-adf7-127a0cd491b7
Category ID: nhk
URL: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20241231_03/
Date: Dec. 31, 2024
Created: 2024/12/31 07:00
Updated: 2025/12/08 07:31
Last Read: 2024/12/31 16:45