Nikkei briefly falls over 4,000 yen below 60,000 as Advantest and SoftBank Group lead Tokyo chip rout
CNBC reports Advantest down 12.2%, SoftBank Group 11.6% and Tokyo Electron 7.3% in early trade after the Nasdaq's 5.5% fall; Sankei says the Nikkei dropped more than 4,000 yen at one point, its first dip below 60,000 in five and a half months.
Why it matters
Tokyo's session extended Thursday's Wall Street rout: the Nikkei opened 703.55 yen lower at 60,374.35, its fifth straight fall, then deepened to a drop of more than 4,000 yen, according to Sankei. Japanese chip-equipment and AI-linked names took the heaviest losses. The common thread across Seoul and Tokyo is the same fear: that a Democratic Congress could slow data-centre construction and so demand for AI chips. Watch the Tokyo close, US jobs data due tonight, and whether SoftBank Group's slide persists.
Key facts
- Nikkei opened 703.55 yen lower at 60,374.35, a fifth straight fall
- Sankei: dropped more than 4,000 yen at one point, below 60,000 for the first time in 5.5 months
- Advantest −12.2%, SoftBank Group −11.6%, Tokyo Electron −7.3% (CNBC, early trade)
- Kioxia down nearly 10%, Renesas −7.5%
- Dow closed down 1,833.06 points and Nasdaq down 1,421.51 on Thursday
- Philadelphia Semiconductor Index fell more than 12%