Nikkei briefly dives over 4,100 points in afternoon

The Nikkei stock average plunged over 4,100 points on Friday, driven by selling in semiconductor and AI-related stocks after declines in their U.S. counterparts. The index fell below 63,000 for the first time in a month, with market sources citing profit-taking ahead of earnings reports and concerns that the generative AI stock boom may be ending.

The 225-issue Nikkei stock average temporarily plunged over 4,100 points Friday afternoon due to selling of issues related to semiconductors and artificial intelligence following overnight falls in their U.S. counterparts. At 1:41 p.m., the index of 225 major issues listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s Prime section stood at 62,704.60, down 4,130.94 points, or 6.18%, from Thursday’s closing. It slipped below 63,000 for the first time in about a month on an intraday basis. In the Tokyo market, memory chipmaker Kioxia Holdings https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/07/17/companies/kioxia-market-value-halves/ and other key Nikkei component issues came under selling pressure. “We can’t help thinking that the boom in generative AI-related stocks is about to end,” an official of a bank-affiliated securities firm said. “There was selling to lock in profits ahead of upcoming earnings reports in the United States and Japan,” a market source said.