TOKYO -- Japan's stock market ended 2024 trading with the benchmark Nikkei Stock Average closing at 39,894.54 , its highest-ever finish, as investors bet on the AI-related tech boom, Japanese companies' governance reforms and the weak yen.
The average on Monday went down 386.62 points (0.96%) from last week's close, mirroring weakening semiconductor stocks in the U.S. on Friday. Yet, the Nikkei average recorded a rise of 19% for the year, staying above the previous year-end high of 38,915 recorded in 1989.
