Japan's Nikkei slips for third day as global bond selloff, Mideast war weigh

TOKYO: Japan’s Nikkei share average slipped on Monday for a third consecutive day, as a global bond market selloff and escalating tensions in the Middle East weighed on risk appetite.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 Index was down 1.2% at 60,646.03, as of 0215 GMT, while the broader Topix shed 1.02% to 3,824.46. Investor sentiment weakened after major Wall Street indexes closed lower on Friday, led by declines in artificial intelligence-related stocks.

Meanwhile, yields on Japanese government bonds soared on Monday, extending the global fixed-income market selloff on concerns the Iran war could fuel inflationary pressures.

Reports of drone incursions in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia further heightened geopolitical concerns. US President Donald Trump warned that Iran must act “fast” as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict appeared to stall.

“Investors reacted negatively to the drop in the three major US indices and the rise in Japan’s 10-year bond yield,” said Maki Sawada, an equities strategist at Nomura Securities.

“Following Friday’s trend, today’s market is being influenced by sectors such as semiconductors, AI-related stocks, and large-cap stocks.”

“The difficulty in the US-Iran ceasefire negotiations remains a source of concern,” Sawada said. In the Nikkei, declining stocks outnumbered gainers by 154 to 68.

Among the biggest losers were Marui Group, which plunged 9.7%, followed by Mizuho Financial Group, down 7.5%, and JGC Holdings, which lost 7.3%.