Japan market rout opens
Japan’s Nikkei plunged roughly 3.9–4% at the open amid an intensifying regional energy crisis, rattling Asian markets and travel-linked stocks. (x.com) (x.com)
Tokyo’s market opened with the Nikkei 225 shedding roughly 2,000 points — about a 5% drop — while the broader Topix slid roughly 4.4% at the open. (invezz.com) The wave of selling followed a U.S. 48-hour ultimatum demanding Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz and public threats to strike Iranian energy infrastructure, moves that sent investors into risk-off mode. (aljazeera.com) Brent crude spiked to about $114 a barrel in early trading before whipsawing back toward $100 intraday, intensifying energy-supply fears for oil- and LNG-importing Asian economies. (tradingnews.com) Regional benchmarks fell sharply as the shock spread: South Korea’s Kospi plunged as much as 6% while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped around 3%, amplifying the rout in Tokyo. (invezz.com) Airline and travel-linked equities — including major names such as ANA Holdings and Japan Airlines — were among the hardest-hit sectors as traders pared exposure to cyclical, travel-dependent stocks. (asia.nikkei.com) Overseas investors have already been exiting Japan in recent weeks, with reported foreign outflows of about $4.6 billion in the aftermath of earlier Iran strikes, a flow that market participants say magnified today’s sell-off. (asia.nikkei.com)
