Nikkei falls to 5-month low

The Japanese Nikkei stock index closed near a five-month low on Tuesday due to investor caution amid the situation on the border with Ukraine, the expansion of inflation risks and concerns about a faster-than-expected increase in the US Federal Reserve interest rate.

The current index value is 27.131.34 points, which was the lowest since August 20. During the trading session, the Nikkei declined to 26.890.94 – the lowest since December 29.

The broader Topix index dropped to 1.862.62. The Mothers Index of startups has fallen to its lowest level since April 2020.

Analysts note that the main driver of the downward dynamics of the index was the decline in the value of shares in the Japanese technology sector. In particular, the securities of the investor in startups SoftBank Group fell by 5.34%, shares of the manufacturer of equipment for creating chips Tokyo Electron – by 2.69%. NIDEC lost 4.44%.

The monetary policy of the US Federal Reserve also has an important impact on the index. A two-day meeting of the US regulator starts today, and investors assume that there is a small chance that the central bank will unexpectedly announce a rate hike from January. 

Additional pressure on the Nikkei is also exerted by geopolitical tensions related to the buildup of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine. Yesterday it became known that NATO is putting its troops on alert and strengthening its positions in Eastern Europe with additional ships and fighters.