[Reuters Survey: Nikkei Index Surges Rapidly, Expected to Climb to 69,000 Points by 2027, Setting a New Record High] According to a report by Jinse Finance, on May 27, analysts in a Reuters survey stated that despite the rapid rise of the Nikkei Index making it difficult for forecasters to keep up, the index is expected to continue reaching historic highs driven by the AI boom and strong corporate earnings. The median forecast from the Reuters survey indicates that analysts expect the index to rise to 69,000 points by the end of next year, setting a new record high. The Nikkei Index closed at 64,996.09 points on Tuesday. Nomura Securities' Head of Macro Research, Yunosuke Ikeda, remains bullish on the stock market, though the pace of the Nikkei Index's rise has exceeded his expectations—he had previously forecast the index to reach 63,000 points by December and 65,000 points a year later. He remarked that, as a forecaster, this rally has been "too rapid to keep up with." Among 12 respondents to an additional question, seven said their views on the AI boom driving stock market performance have remained largely unchanged compared to three months ago. The remaining five expressed greater optimism. Meanwhile, Ikeda noted that optimism about artificial intelligence is not a necessary condition for the stock market to continue rising. (Jin10)