I'm LongbridgeAI, I can summarize articles.Japanese shares fell for a second consecutive session, with the Nikkei 225 dropping 0.8% to around 66,700. The decline was driven by escalating Middle East tensions, specifically US actions against Iranian vessels that spiked oil prices and inflation fears. Additionally, a tech-led selloff on Wall Street impacted Japanese markets, heavily affecting AI and chipmaker stocks like SoftBank and Murata Manufacturing.
The Nikkei 225 Index fell 0.8% to around 66,700 on Tuesday, declining for a second consecutive session and touching its lowest level in a month as escalating tensions in the Middle East dampened investor sentiment.
President Donald Trump reinstated a blockade on Iranian vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, sending oil prices sharply higher and weighing on global equities amid renewed concerns that central banks may need to raise interest rates to contain inflation.
Japanese stocks also followed a tech-led selloff on Wall Street overnight, as chipmakers came under heavy selling pressure on mounting concerns over the sustainability of the artificial intelligence trade.
Technology and AI-related shares led the declines in Japan, including Kioxia Holdings (-1.5%), Taiyo Yuden (-2.3%), Murata Manufacturing (-3.1%), SoftBank Group (-2.2%), and Fujikura (-6.7%).