The Nikkei 225 Index Closes 0.52% Lower

The Nikkei 225 Index fell 0.92% to close at 70,035 on Wednesday, snapping a two-day advance as investors locked in profits after the benchmark index rallied to a three-month high. Japanese equities also failed to keep pace with another record-setting advance on Wall Street overnight. Meanwhile, oil prices rebounded as persistent threats to Middle East energy supplies outweighed signs of recovering regional output, keeping inflation concerns elevated. Technology and AI-related stocks faced the heaviest selling pressure, with Kioxia Holdings (-4.5%), Advantest (-1.3%), Fujikura (-2.7%), Disco Corp (-6.3%) and Tokyo Electron (-2.4%) among the notable decliners. Financial shares also weakened, including Mitsubishi UFJ (-1.3%), Sumitomo Mitsui (-1.7%) and Mizuho Financial (-2.4%). Meanwhile, SpaceX was reportedly seeking to raise $40 billion to acquire Nvidia chips, providing further support for the technology sector’s outlook.

The Nikkei 225 Index dropped 367 points or 0.52 percent on Wednesday to close at 70317 points. Losses were led by Rakuten (-4.50%), Nidec (-4.43%) and Resona Holdings (-3.24%). Offsetting the fall, top gainers were Suzuki Motor (3.73%), Taiyo Yuden (3.05%) and Hino Motors (2.81%).

The Nikkei 225 Index fell 0.2% to below 70,600 on Wednesday, snapping a two-day advance as investors locked in profits after the benchmark index rallied to a three-month high. Still, global equities remained supported by expectations that companies can withstand higher interest rates and energy costs, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite hitting fresh record highs overnight. Meanwhile, oil prices recovered as ongoing risks to Middle East energy flows outweighed signs of improving supply from the region. In corporate news, SpaceX was reportedly seeking to raise $40 billion to purchase Nvidia chips, strengthening the outlook for the technology sector. Among individual stocks, Fujikura (1.7%), SoftBank Group (1.6%) and Furukawa Electric (4.1%) posted notable gains, while Kioxia Holdings (-3.4%), Advantest (-1.2%) and Disco Corp (-4.8%) declined.