Japan’s benchmark Nikkei stock index briefly fell over 3 % on Friday morning, as artificial‑intelligence and semiconductor shares slid after disappointing earnings from several major U.S. technology companies, according to Xinhua. The early‑morning dip was the sharpest point in the index’s trading session. At 10:54 a.m. local time, the Nikkei was down 1,867.61 points, or 2.89 percent, to 62,791.86 after Thursday’s close.
The broader Topix index also fell, losing 58.54 points, or 1.46 percent, to 3,944.74 in the same session. Xinhua noted that the AI‑related shares, which drive a sizeable portion of Japan’s tech sector, were pulled hard as earnings from U.S. giants like Microsoft, Apple and Google fell short of analysts’ expectations.
After the steep decline, the Nikkei rebounded slightly, closing the day within 1 % of its previous‑day level, though the early sell‑off underscored market caution over the resilience of growth‑sector stocks in a period of tightening global tech earnings. Xinhua reported the drop along with a broader commentary on how earnings revisions are impacting investor sentiment across the Asia‑Pacific region.
