The Nikkei Average fell sharply in the afternoon session on the 19th, while semiconductor-related stocks remained soft. The dollar-yen pair was slightly firm, and reports indicated that Advantest and SoftBank Group were expected to be the top contributors to the decline at the afternoon open.
The Nikkei Average opened sharply lower, with losses widening at one point near the morning session's closing level. Selling was led by semiconductor-related stocks, and steep declines in Advantest and Tokyo Electron contributed significantly to the market's fall. Ahead of the afternoon session, losses briefly widened before the decline began to narrow. Although the Nikkei Average fell sharply, TOPIX continued to decline less than the Nikkei.
The dollar-yen pair moved slightly from the upper ¥157 range toward around ¥158, while cross-yen pairs remained firm against the backdrop of movements in long-term U.S. Treasury yields. Alongside domestic equity-market movements, the foreign-exchange market reflected changes in investors' risk appetite.