In Tokyo trading on Monday, the Nikkei 225 briefly fell below ¥63,000 as concerns over slower AI investment spread selling across AI-related and semiconductor stocks. Developments at U.S. AI companies and heightened tensions in the Middle East also put downward pressure on the market.
In Tokyo stock trading on Monday the 14th, the Nikkei 225 extended its decline, falling to ¥62,979.52 during the morning session. The TOPIX briefly turned positive in afternoon trading, but the Nikkei remained below ¥63,000 for the day. Selling spread across AI- and semiconductor-related stocks amid speculation that development in the AI field could be curbed further.
Market sentiment was dampened by reports that Dario Amodei (ダリオ・アモデイ), CEO of U.S. AI company Anthropic, had called for the industry as a whole to slow development because of the risks of AI becoming uncontrollable or being misused. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (サム・アルトマン) also said he was considering a slowdown. SoftBank Group, which has invested in OpenAI, fell more than 10% at one point in response.
Selling also led in major semiconductor equipment makers Advantest and Tokyo Electron, as well as related stocks. Against the backdrop of heightened tensions in the Middle East, views spread that upward pressure on crude oil prices would intensify. The fact that crude oil futures remained elevated during the day accelerated investors' risk aversion amid concerns that this would create headwinds for Japanese companies' earnings.
Semiconductor stocks including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix also fell in South Korea, with memory-related companies at the center of a broad selloff. Concerns over developments in the U.S. market and a slowdown in the pace of AI development are spreading globally, and market attention is expected to focus on the disclosure of future capital investment plans and development policies.