Japan’s Nikkei Drops 5% to YTD Low

2026-03-30 00:21 By Jam Kaimo Samonte 1 min. read

The Nikkei 225 Index plunged about 5% to below 50,600 on Monday, falling to its lowest level this year as escalating tensions in the Middle East and surging oil prices continued to weigh on global equities.

The Iran war entered its fifth week with no end in sight, with Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen joining the conflict and the US deploying additional troops to the region.

Japan is reeling from the resulting energy shock and is set to begin releasing oil from emergency reserves to mitigate its impact.

Markets also contended with a sharply weakening yen and rising Japanese government bond yields, fueling speculation that the Bank of Japan could raise interest rates as soon as next month.

Additionally, Monday is the ex-dividend date for many companies with fiscal years ending March and September.

Tech stocks led the selloff, with sharp losses from Kioxia Holdings (-4.1%), SoftBank Group (-8.5%), Advantest (-7.1%), Lasertec (-3%) and Disco Corp (-3.8%).



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Japan’s Nikkei Drops 5% to YTD Low
The Nikkei 225 Index plunged about 5% to below 50,600 on Monday, falling to its lowest level this year as escalating tensions in the Middle East and surging oil prices continued to weigh on global equities. The Iran war entered its fifth week with no end in sight, with Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen joining the conflict and the US deploying additional troops to the region. Japan is reeling from the resulting energy shock and is set to begin releasing oil from emergency reserves to mitigate its impact. Markets also contended with a sharply weakening yen and rising Japanese government bond yields, fueling speculation that the Bank of Japan could raise interest rates as soon as next month. Additionally, Monday is the ex-dividend date for many companies with fiscal years ending March and September. Tech stocks led the selloff, with sharp losses from Kioxia Holdings (-4.1%), SoftBank Group (-8.5%), Advantest (-7.1%), Lasertec (-3%) and Disco Corp (-3.8%).
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The Nikkei 225 Index decreased -36 points or 0.07 percent on Friday to close at 53568 points. The decline was led by Daikin (-4.97%), Hino Motors (-4.89%) and Furukawa Electric (-4.28%). On the upside, the strongest performers were Sumitomo Dainippon (6.40%), Olympus (6.28%) and Shizuoka Bank (5.90%).
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The Nikkei 225 Index fell 0.43% to close at 53,373 on Friday, extending losses from the previous session and following a sharp selloff on Wall Street amid skepticism over Iran war negotiations. Reports also emerged that the US is considering sending up to 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump delayed his deadline for Iran to reach a deal or face further attacks by 10 days, saying talks with Tehran were going “very well.” Trump also said Iran had allowed 10 oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz this week as a gesture of goodwill. Still, investors remained cautious amid conflicting reports on the Middle East, while elevated oil prices stoked inflation concerns and reinforced expectations for rate hikes this year. Tech and AI-linked stocks led the decline, with steep losses for Kioxia Holdings (-4.2%), Fujikura (-1.7%), Advantest (-3.9%), Disco Corp (-1.4%), and Tokyo Electron (-3.1%).
2026-03-27