Japan's Nikkei 225 index crossed 60,000 for the first time and was on track for a record closing high. The milestone marks a sharp recovery for Japanese equities, which spent decades depressed after the asset bubble collapse of the early 1990s. The Nikkei had briefly touched its all-time intraday peak earlier this year before pulling back, making a sustained close above this level significant for investor sentiment. A weaker yen has boosted exporters' earnings, corporate governance reforms have attracted foreign institutional money, and the Bank of Japan's gradual policy shift has kept borrowing costs manageable. Together these forces have reset valuations higher across the index. Investors will now watch whether the rally holds above 60,000 on a closing basis, which would confirm the move as structural rather than a brief spike. Export-heavy sectors and financials stand to benefit most if foreign inflows continue. Any yen strengthening or global risk-off shift remains the key downside risk to watch.
Indian startups raised $5.2 billion across 501 deals in H1 2026, down 9% in value but up 7% in deal count year-on-year, per the Inc42 Indian Tech Startup Funding Report. The drop is driven by fewer mega-rounds, while AI funding surged 317% and growth-stage deal activity hit a multi-year high.
The BSE Sensex fell 893 points and the Nifty 50 shed 279 points on June 30, 2026, wiping out roughly Rs 6 lakh crore in investor wealth in a single session. Both indices dropped 1.16%, closing at 76,200.68 and 23,824.10 respectively.
Kotak Mahindra Bank shares fell nearly 3% to Rs 397.6 after CEO Ashok Vaswani announced plans to exit the bank. Investor concern now centres on succession timing and whether the bank's ongoing digital and deposit-growth strategy will stay on track.
South Korea's Kospi dropped 3% at Monday's open while Japan's Nikkei fell 1%, as escalating US-Iran conflict triggered a broad risk-off move across Asian markets. South Korea's heavy reliance on Middle East oil imports makes it especially vulnerable to geopolitical shocks of this kind.
