Tokyo Stocks Surge on Chipmaker Gains; Global Markets Mixed

Asian markets opened the new trading month with gains, led by Tokyo's Nikkei index, which jumped over 2%. The surge was primarily driven by Japanese chipmaker stocks, reacting positively to overnight financial results from U.S. semiconductor giant Micron. Seoul's stock exchange also saw an increase of approximately 1%, while markets in Hong Kong and Shanghai were closed for a holiday.

On Wall Street, the final trading day of September concluded with mixed results. The S&P 500 saw a slight decline of about 0.3%, the Dow Jones fell by approximately 0.9%, and the Nasdaq managed a modest rise of around 0.2%. Investors are now anticipating the September jobs report, expected to show around 100,000 new jobs added. Analysts suggest that a strong but not overly hot jobs report would be favorable, as a significantly stronger one could increase the likelihood of another interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve in October.

The Israeli stock market closed September with mixed performance. The TA-35 index weakened by about 0.4%, while the TA-90 index advanced by 0.6%. For the entire month, the TA-35 rose by 1.6%, the TA-90 fell by 2.7%, and the TA-125 gained 0.5%. Notable individual stock movements included a significant 30% jump for defense-tech firm Smart Shooter after securing a U.S. military contract, a nearly 20% rise for Alrov Real Estate following an acquisition offer, and an over 8% increase for fintech company Nayax after its co-founder purchased shares. Israeli airlines El Al and Israir also saw sharp gains amid speculation that a recent incident involving a Flydubai flight could lead to the resumption of flights to the UAE by local carriers.

Commodities saw minor fluctuations, with oil prices dropping slightly by up to 1%. Brent crude futures for December were trading around $97 per barrel, and U.S. WTI futures were just below $90 per barrel. The Israeli Shekel remained stable against the dollar, trading at 3.07 shekels, while the U.S. Dollar Index reached a three-month high. Separately, CNBC reported that tanker stocks have been the year's hottest performers, driven by geopolitical disruptions in the energy sector, including tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions on Russian oil, and attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. This has led to increased shipping distances and higher freight rates, boosting profits for tanker companies.