Japan's Nikkei 225 opened at 66,994.05 on August 12, up 23.83 yen from the previous trading day, as a weaker yen and firmer dollar supported export-related shares. The benchmark briefly slipped into negative territory after the open, however, underscoring uneven trading despite expectations for a 66,800 to 67,500 range during the session. Support also came from the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index, or SOX (U.S. semiconductor stock index), which rebounded on August 11 even as the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq Composite extended declines amid Middle East uncertainty. Because the Nikkei tends to track semiconductor sentiment closely, the SOX move helped underpin buying in AI and chip-related names in Tokyo. In currency markets, the dollar traded in the lower 159 yen range at 9:02 a.m., above the 158.48-50 yen level seen on August 10, while the yen also weakened against the euro into the upper 183 yen range from 183.23-27 yen. That raised expectations for stronger earnings at exporters such as automakers and electronics makers. CME Nikkei 225 futures for September delivery closed at 67,065, up 340 yen from the previous day but 95 yen below the Osaka Exchange settlement on August 10, a signal that near-term profit-taking could emerge. Individual ADRs (U.S.-traded Japanese share receipts) were mixed, with Furukawa Electric, Sumitomo Electric and Fujikura closing below their August 10 Tokyo levels, pointing to possible early selling pressure. Investors are also watching a heavy calendar including Japan's July money stock data, a 10-year inflation-indexed government bond auction, U.S. July CPI, a U.S. 10-year Treasury note auction, and earnings from Tokio Marine Holdings, Hon Hai Precision Industry, Tencent and Commonwealth Bank of Australia.