economy
February 9, 2026
CNBC Daily Open: Takaichi's victory sends Japan's Nikkei 225 to new highs
Japan's Sanae Takaichi and her ruling Liberal Democratic Party overwhelmingly found the support of voters in a Sunday election, sweeping a supermajority.
TL;DR
- Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, won a supermajority in the recent election, boosting investor confidence.
- Japanese stocks reached a record high, and the yen strengthened following the election results.
- Major U.S. stock indexes, including the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq, rallied on Friday, with tech stocks leading the charge.
- Big Tech companies have collectively lost over $1 trillion in valuation in the past week, affecting Amazon, Microsoft, Nvidia, Meta, Google, and Oracle.
- Italian bank UniCredit reported its best-ever annual net profit for 2025.
- U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces political pressure following the resignation of his chief of staff.
- Files related to Jeffrey Epstein revealed names of prominent figures in Silicon Valley.
- Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison under a national security law.
- Private credit markets are facing uncertainty due to AI's impact on software companies, a major borrower group.
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