Japanese Shares Slip As Trump Tariffs Loom
The Nikkei 225 index fell 0.18% to close at 37,608, while the Topix index dropped 0.47% to 2,791 on Monday, with the index previously dropping for a third straight session as U.S. President Donald Trump’s April 2 deadline for reciprocal tariffs weighed on sentiment. However, Trump hinted on Friday that there could be “flexibility” in his plans, and a weekend report suggested the tariffs may be narrower in scope, potentially sparing certain industries. Domestically, the latest data showed that Japanese private sector activity contracted for the first time in five months, with manufacturing extending its nine-month decline, while services activity also turned negative. Significant declines were seen in leading index stocks such as Mitsubishi Heavy (-2.2%), Mitsubishi UFJ (-2%), Disco Corp (-1.7%), Advantest (-1.2%), and IHI Corp (-1.2%). (Newsmaker23)
Source: Trading economics