Japanese Yen Dropped to a New Four-Decade Low and Stocks Advan

Akira Ito
27 Jul, 2026
Tokyo

Japan's indexes recovered from the previous week's losses as oil prices fell after the U.S. and Iran suspended attacks over the weekend. 

The Nikkei 225 Stock Average increased 0.3%, the broader TOPIX advanced 1.2%, and the Japanese yen weakened to 163.57 against the U.S. dollar.  

The Brent crude oil price decreased 6.2% to $91.85 after the U.S. struggled to replenish ammunition following a 14-day attack on Iran. 

In Friday's trading, stock market indexes closed mixed in New York, and the tech-focused Nasdaq Composite decreased 0.6% following a selloff in AI-related stocks. 

Last week, world stocks wobbled as investors reviewed the latest batch of earnings from leading tech companies. A sharp hike in oil prices, lackluster earnings from two megacap U.S. companies, and an uncertain international trade outlook added to market anxieties. 

Markets in Asia fell between 1% and 4% in Friday's trading after the U.S. president imposed a new set of tariffs ranging between 10% and 12.5% on imports from 60 countries. 

The new set of levies is imposed just to continue the temporary tariffs slapped on imported goods, which are set to expire on Friday, following the Trump administration's defeat at the U.S. Supreme Court. 

 

Japan Indexes and Stocks 

The Nikkei 225 Stock Average increased 0.3% to 64,766.57, and the broader TOPIX rose 1.2% to 4,059.61. 

AI- and semiconductor-related stock traded mixed over concerns that the massive AI infrastructure spending by hyperscalers is not sustainable. 

Tokyo Electron decreased 0.2% to ¥62,550.0, Advantest Corp. fell 1.9% to ¥28,410.0, and Taiyo Yuden Corp. eased 0.6% to ¥11,350.0. 

Toyota Motor Corp. increased 2.2% to ¥2,961.0, Nissan Motor Corp. gained 2.8% to ¥331.10, and Honda Motor Corp. gained 3.2% to ¥1,585.0. 

ChangXin Memory Technology soared more than 470% on the first day of trading on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and traded at 49.50 yuan. 

CXMT, the memory chip maker, completed its initial public offering, and the company raised 57.96 billion yuan, selling shares at 8.66 yuan each.