Japan's Nikkei 225 Rises Amid BOJ Hike Bets, Stronger Yen Weighs on Exporters

The Japanese stock market saw mixed performance on September 8, with the Nikkei 225 gaining 0.4% to trade above 66,700 while the broader Topix slipped 0.6% to around 4,100.

Market sentiment was influenced by expectations of tighter monetary policy from the Bank of Japan (BOJ) following recent economic data that strengthened those expectations, including Japanese wages in July recording their fastest annual growth since 1997 and second-quarter GDP growth being revised higher.

Rising oil prices following renewed fighting between the US and Iran kept inflation and interest-rate concerns in focus.