The Nikkei 225 Index Closes 0.60% Lower

The Nikkei 225 Index decreased 393 points or 0.60 percent on Monday to close at 65623 points. The decline was led by Mercari Inc (-5.48%), Furukawa Electric (-5.29%) and Fujikura (-5.17%). On the upside, the strongest performers were Hitachi Construction Machinery (6.57%), Sumitomo Metal Mining (6.13%) and Furukawa (5.17%).

The Nikkei 225 Index fell 0.7% to close at 65,528 on Monday, extending its decline from the previous session as technology stocks came under pressure ahead of Nvidia’s earnings report later this week. Investor sentiment was also subdued amid elevated global bond yields, as the US Treasury’s surprise bond buyback announcement last week failed to ease concerns over inflation and rising government debt. Inflation worries have persisted amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East, with the US expected to announce new sanctions on Iran later in the day. The biggest decliners among Japan’s chip and AI-related shares included Kioxia Holdings (-6.2%), Advantest (-3.9%), Taiyo Yuden (-1.6%), Fujikura (-5%), SoftBank Group (-5.3%), Murata Manufacturing (-0.3%), Lasertec (-0.9%), and Furukawa Electric (-5.1%). Financial and consumer stocks also ended in the red, with Mitsubishi UFJ losing 0.8%, Toyota Motor falling 0.2%, and Fast Retailing shedding 0.9%.

The Nikkei 225 Index dropped 440 points or 0.66 percent on Friday to close at 65777 points. Losses were led by Trend Micro (-4.40%), Japan Steel Works (-4.36%) and Taiyo Yuden (-4.27%). Offsetting the fall, top gainers were Sumitomo Chemical (6.55%), Kawasaki Kisen (6.52%) and Nippon Yusen (4.90%).