Japan's Nikkei 225 index crossed 60,000 for the first time and set an all-time closing high, a landmark moment for the country's benchmark stock index. The milestone marks a significant shift for an index that spent decades recovering from the asset bubble collapse of the early 1990s, when the Nikkei peaked near 39,000 before entering a long bear market. The Nikkei had already reclaimed its 1989 peak in early 2024 after a 34-year wait, and this new record extends that rally well beyond the prior ceiling. Crossing 60,000 signals sustained investor confidence in Japanese equities, driven in part by corporate governance reforms, yen dynamics that have boosted export earnings, and growing foreign inflows into Japanese markets. Investors will be watching whether the rally holds at these levels and whether the Bank of Japan's monetary policy path adds volatility or support to the index from here.
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.
