TOKYO: Japan’s Nikkei share average fell more than 2 percent on Thursday, reversing earlier gains as hopes for a quick end to the Middle East conflict faded after US President Donald Trump vowed more strikes on Iran.
The Nikkei closed 2.38 percent lower at 52,463.27, after rising as much as 0.97 percent earlier in the session. The broader Topix reversed early gains, ending 1.61 percent lower at 3,611.67.
In a televised speech, Trump said the US military had nearly accomplished its goals in Iran, but offered no clear timeline for ending the month-long war and vowed to bomb the country back into the “Stone Ages.”
“There was nothing new in his speech. If he had declared the immediate end of the war, the equity market could have surged,” said Kazuaki Shimada, chief strategist at IwaiCosmo Securities.
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