E mini nasdaq futures reacted positively to

E mini Nasdaq futures reacted positively to better-than-expected retail sales in e-commerce categories, reinforcing the link between consumer tech demand and index strength. Japan’s Nikkei 225 Stock Index closed sharply higher and hit a new record high today as enthusiasm over AI boosted sentiment. Technology stocks rallied on Friday, led by a more than +10% jump in Hitachi after the company formed a partnership with OpenAI on energy and related infrastructure. Japanese equities were also underpinned by a weaker yen. The yen weakened against the dollar after Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda kept policy options open by reaffirming the bank’s long-standing stance on interest rates. Ueda said the bank will hike rates if economic and price developments move in line with its projections. Still, he refrained from giving any clear indications about the likelihood of a rate hike at the BOJ’s meeting later this month. Meanwhile, the benchmark index posted gains for the week. On the economic front, a private survey released on Friday showed that Japan’s services sector activity posted solid gains in September, supported by strong domestic demand and standing in sharp contrast to the contraction in factory activity. Separately, data showed that Japan’s unemployment rate rose to a 13-month high in August. In other corporate news, Fujitsu rose over +3% after the company expanded its collaboration with Nvidia. Investors now await the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership vote on Saturday, which is expected to determine the country’s next prime minister. Frontrunner Shinjiro Koizumi is regarded as a continuity candidate, while rival Sanae Takaichi is considered a fiscal and monetary dove. The Nikkei Volatility Index, which takes into account the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, closed down -1.78% to 24.84. The Q2 2025 equity roll (Jun/Sept) implied financing spread to 3-month SOFR decreased to +38 bps from the 3-month SOFR +61bps for (Mar/Jun). E mini Nasdaq futures traded near 19,230, up 0.4% in pre-market activity, supported by strong earnings from megacap tech stocks. Traders are eyeing Fed’s rate comments as implied volatility ticks higher, suggesting possible short-term pullback if inflation data surprises.