HONG KONG — Japan’s Nikkei 225 share benchmark topped 40,000 on Monday for the primary time as sturdy demand for know-how shares retains pushing the index greater.

By noon in Tokyo, the index had gained 0.8% to 40,226.83.

Shares in computer-chip associated firms rallied, with Renesas Electronics Corp. leaping 5.8% and Advantest Corp. up 3.9%. Olympus gained 7.4%.

Shares in Japan have tracked features in different markets pushed by expectations for sturdy demand for know-how related to artificial intelligence.

They’ve additionally been boosted by continued straightforward credit score insurance policies that has the Bank of Japan pumping cash into the economic system to assist assist development. Those insurance policies have saved the Japanese yen comparatively weak towards the U.S. greenback and different main currencies, boosting income of exporters.

Tokyo’s rally adopted broad features Friday on Wall Street, the place the S&P 500 rose 0.8%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.2% and the Nasdaq composite climbed 1.1%.

Excitement round artificial-intelligence know-how helped drive the advance. Dell soared greater than 30%.