Amid a broad decline in US stocks following the Democratic victory, the Nikkei average recorded its third-largest decline on record as AI stocks collapsed across the board. Inquiries to securities firms came one after another from the morning.
The Nikkei average in the Tokyo market fell below the ¥60,000 mark as the decline in US stocks spread, closing at ¥57,434, down ¥3,643 from the previous day. This was the third-largest decline on record, with the fall below ¥60,000 ranking behind the ¥4,451 decline in August last year and the ¥3,836 decline in October 1987.
The sharp fall was driven by a broad decline in AI-related stocks. The Nasdaq Composite fell 5.5%, while the Dow average also suffered a steep decline of more than $1,800. The possibility of tighter regulations surrounding data-center construction was cited as a backdrop.
In the United States, the result of a gubernatorial election in which the winning candidate campaigned on a pledge by a Democratic candidate to temporarily suspend data-center construction had an impact. Japanese and US stock prices fell sharply as AI and semiconductor stocks declined.
Experts are divided, with some expecting data-center regulation to ease going forward and others expecting tighter regulation to return. Attention is required regarding future developments in the Japanese and US markets.