Japan: Japan's stock indexes closed lower at the end of trading on Tuesday.
According to Qatar News Agency, the Nikkei index ended trading down 1.6 percent, reaching 49,373.25 points at the close. This decline was influenced by drops in semiconductor stocks and companies linked to artificial intelligence, causing the index to fall below the 50,000-point level for the first time since December 3.
The broader Topix index also experienced losses, decreasing by 1.8 percent to record 3,370.50 points. Shares of Yaskawa Electric fell by 7 percent, and Fujikura, a data-center cable manufacturer, dropped 6.7 percent, marking them as the biggest decliners on the Nikkei. Renesas, a chip manufacturer, saw a decline of 5.1 percent, and Shin-Etsu Chemical dropped 4.1 percent.
Shares of several major Japanese technology companies registered smaller declines following sharp losses on Monday. SoftBank Group, with a focus on artificial intelligence, declined 1.7 percent, a recovery from an earlier 4.5 percent drop after a 6 percent fall in the prior session. Advantest, a chip-testing equipment maker and supplier to Nvidia, slipped 1.4 percent following a 6.6 percent decline on Monday.
Out of the 225 stocks in the Nikkei, 188 declined, 36 rose, and one remained unchanged.