The benchmark Nikkei Stock Average fell 386.19 yen to 60,429.76 in morning trading on Tuesday, May 19, declining for a second consecutive session. Morning volume on the Prime Market reached approximately 1,232.59 million shares, with a turnover of approximately 5,256.6 billion yen. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners 1,107 to 439, while 22 ended unchanged.

In the Tokyo market, the Nikkei Average opened higher driven by futures trading, but subsequently shed gains as buying in large-cap shares failed to sustain, slipping into negative territory. The index finished the morning session near its intraday lows, dipping into the lower 60,000 range as focus turned to the psychological 60,000 threshold. While profit-taking hit the market-leading semiconductor sector, financial shares attracted buyers, and momentum shifted toward domestic demand-oriented defensive stocks. Advancing issues totaled approximately 1,100, accounting for 70% of the Prime Market.

Among individual stocks, turnover leader Kioxia Holdings <285A> reversed sharply after an initial higher open. Cable makers including Fujikura Ltd. <5803> and Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. <5801>, along with chip-manufacturing equipment peers like ADVANTEST CORPORATION <6857>, lost ground. JX Advanced Metals Corporation <5016> and Mitsui Kinzoku Company, Limited <5706> also faced selling pressure. Rigaku Holdings <268A> plunged, and Dexerials Corporation <4980> fell sharply. Conversely, megabanks such as Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. <8306> drew buy orders, while Recruit Holdings Co.,Ltd. <6098> surged on heavy volume. Nintendo Co., Ltd. <7974> and FAST RETAILING CO., LTD. <9983> also advanced. TESS Holdings CO.,Ltd. <5074> locked at its daily limit high, while TOKYO BASE Co., Ltd. <3415> also jumped.

Source: MINKABU PRESS

*Translated by generative AI. Click here for the original article.