April 16, 2025 at 02:49 am EDT
(MT Newswires) -- Japanese shares fell on Wednesday as US trade tensions flared, with the Trump administration tightening curbs on Nvidia's chip exports to China.
The Nikkei 225 fell 1.01%, or 347.14 points, to end at 33,920.4.
Nvidia said it would take a $5.5 billion hit after Washington restricted exports of its H20 AI chip to China, a key market targeted by US export controls aimed at curbing Beijing's tech advances.
Traders also grappled with renewed tariff headlines after Trump launched a probe into critical mineral levies, adding to market volatility.
On the economic front, Japanese manufacturers grew more confident in April, with the Reuters Tankan index rising to +9 from -1, though sentiment is expected to weaken in coming months amid US tariff risks, the survey showed.
Export-reliant sectors like autos and machinery flagged falling orders and policy uncertainty under President Trump.
Weak demand from China and cheap Chinese imports also weighed on the outlook. In contrast, service-sector confidence climbed to +30, despite shipping firms facing higher labor costs and lower trade volumes.
Separately, Japan's core machinery orders rose 4.3% in February, led by a 3% gain in manufacturing and an 11% jump in non-manufacturing orders.
Among corporate movers, Idemitsu Kosan will absorb its wholly owned unit RS Energy on July 1 through a short-form merger that does not require shareholder approval, aiming to streamline operations from its earlier integration of Showa Shell Sekiyu.
Takashimaya posted a 0.2% drop in March sales, with combined sales at its Okayama and Takasaki stores falling 1.9%. Corporate business rose 15.3%, while cross-media sales declined over 9%.
Kakiyasu Hontencompleted the liquidation of its securities trading subsidiary Akatsuka Kosan, which was founded in 1965.
Sumber : MT Newswires
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