What's Keeping the Nikkei Under Pressure?
The Nikkei 225 closed down 0.34% to 48,538 on Wednesday, while the broader Topix index fell 0.17% to 3,246. This marked the fourth consecutive day of declines for Japanese stocks. The main pressure came from the technology sector, which is still being punished by the market due to concerns about overvaluation.
Investors also chose to be cautious ahead of Nvidia's highly anticipated earnings release, given that many Japanese technology companies are connected to the global AI supply chain. Several major technology stocks weighed on the index, including Advantest (-0.6%), Lasertec (-2.2%), Disco Corp (-3.4%), Tokyo Electron (-2%), and Hitachi (-1.5%). These movements indicate that sentiment in the technology sector remains fragile.
Furthermore, the Japanese stock market was also weighed down by rising domestic bond yields and diplomatic tensions with China. On the policy front, Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda told Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday that the central bank would gradually raise interest rates. The goal is to bring inflation to the 2% target while maintaining sustainable economic growth. (az)
Source: Newsmaker.id
