Stocks traded in Tokyo hit a record high on Thursday and then held most of those gains on Friday. | Reuters

The Nikkei 225 stock average ended the week near the historic highs hit Thursday, with investors still optimistic that a ceasefire in the Middle East might hold and peace could break out.

It closed at 62,713.65, down 0.2% on Friday. The benchmark rallied 5.6% a day earlier and reached 63,091.14, the new record, in the afternoon.

The mood cooled on Friday in part because of weak trading overnight in the United States. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.63%, while the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX), which measures the performance of the 30 largest U.S. semiconductor-related stocks, declined 2.72%.

In a time of both misinformation and too much information,
quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

SUBSCRIBE NOW