FX.co ★ Japanese Shares Track Wall Street Lower

The Nikkei 225 Index declined by 0.9%, dipping below the 54,000 mark on Thursday. This decrease followed record highs, mirroring losses witnessed on Wall Street the previous night, largely spurred by pressure on technology stocks. In a move that impacted market sentiment, US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation late Wednesday imposing a 25% tariff on specific AI chips, citing national security concerns. Consequently, Japanese tech stocks mirrored this downturn, with significant losses reported by Advantest (down 3.2%), SoftBank Group (down 3.9%), Disco Corp (down 3.7%), Tokyo Electron (down 3.5%), and Lasertec (down 1.7%). On the corporate front, Toyota Group increased its bid to privatize Toyota Industries Corp. by 15%, raising the offer to 18,800 yen per share, though investors continue to request a higher premium. Simultaneously, Honda Motor announced plans to boost the production of more affordable gasoline-powered vehicles this year.