Japan’s Nikkei snaps losing streak as chip-sector stocks rebound

Japan's Nikkei share average rose for the first time in four sessions on Thursday, as chip-sector shares reversed early declines and bank shares rallied. The Nikkei ended the day up 0.31% at 38,079.70, bouncing back from a drop of as much as 0.83% early in the session to recover the psychological 38,000 mark. "The Japanese market has been strong since the start of the year, so it's natural for some investors to take profits," leading to weakness at the start of this week, said Kenji Abe, an equities strategist at Daiwa Securities.