Tokyo: Tokyo stocks plummeted on Monday, sending a key index to end with the third-biggest fall following a massive sell-off on Wall Street Friday. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) fell 2,644.00 points, or 7.83 percent, from Friday to 31,136.58, the lowest close since Oct. 31, 2023, finishing with the third-biggest single-day point loss on record.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the broader Tokyo Stock Price Index, which includes all shares on the market's First Section on the TSE, also shed 193.40 points, or 7.79 percent, to 2,288.66. Sell orders overwhelmed from the morning after US shares tumbled on Friday following US President Donald Trump's announcement of sweeping reciprocal tariffs. The S and P 500 lost 3.4 percent, the Dow Jones Industrial Average 3.1 percent, and the Nasdaq futures 5.3 percent, respectively.
Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato urged investors to stay calm, saying, "It is important for investors to make calm decisions. I would like to ask financial institutions to respond carefully to inquiries from investors." The minister also acknowledged the ongoing instability due to the global financial capital markets and the US tariffs. "We recognize that the unstable situation continues due to the global financial capital markets, the US tariffs, and various developments surrounding them," Kato told reporters. "We will closely monitor market trends and trading conditions with a sense of urgency, and work with relevant ministries and agencies to take appropriate measures," the minister noted.