The Nikkei fell for a second straight session in morning trading in Tokyo, dropping more than ¥500 in the morning session. AI and semiconductor-related stocks were weak, widening the decline before losses gradually narrowed.
The Nikkei fell 0.77% from the previous day to ¥68,512.30 in morning trading in Tokyo, with the decline widening to nearly ¥900 at one point. Lower U.S. stocks and rising crude oil prices weighed on the market, and selling prevailed, particularly in AI-related stocks, but losses narrowed toward the afternoon session and the market shifted to range-bound trading.
In terms of stock movements on the TSE Prime Market, trading value on the Prime Market exceeded ¥4 trillion. Although more stocks rose than fell, semiconductor-related stocks were weak. SoftBank Group fell more than 4%, and disclosure-related news affected the market as a whole. Movements in stocks with a large contribution to the Nikkei influenced the overall market direction.
Market participants said that many semiconductor-related companies have strong earnings, while some pointed to short-term selling in AI-related stocks. Attention is focused today on Yaskawa Electric's earnings, and some market participants said the results could support the market from next week onward.