TOKYO: Tokyo stocks erased early gains to finish lower in Wednesday trading, as Turkey’s currency crisis fueled concerns of contagion to other emerging economies and pressured Asian shares.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index, which jumped more than two percent on Tuesday, lost 0.68 percent or 151.86 points to 22,204.22.
The broader Topix index was down 0.76 percent or 12.92 points at 1,698.03.
Tokyo shares opened higher after Wall Street advanced on Tuesday as Turkey’s lira recovered some ground.
But they soon fell into negative territory as Turkey’s financial woes continued weighing on investor sentiment in the region, sending key Asian shares down.
“While the lira is stabilising, investors are still concerned that the crisis will spread to other emerging economies and currencies,” said Hikaru Sato, senior technical analyst at Daiwa Securities.
“Trading is expected to remain nervous for now,” Sato told AFP.
Investors were watching closely after the lira hit record lows on Monday and equity markets dropped sharply on concerns Turkey’s financial crisis could spread globally.
“Risk aversion triggered by the lira’s plunge is taking a breather for now,” Okasan Online Securities chief strategist Yoshihiro Ito said in a commentary.
But he noted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had not eased his tough stance as he said Turkey would boycott US electronic goods like the iPhone in response to punitive sanctions from Washington.
“We can’t take our eyes off the Turkish situation as how this will develop is increasingly uncertain,” Ito said.
Earlier Wednesday, Turkey announced it was hiking tariffs on a range of US goods in “retaliation for the conscious attacks on our economy by the US administration.”
The dollar was at 111.26 yen in Asian afternoon trade against 111.21 yen in New York Tuesday afternoon.
In individual stocks trade, shares of game makers plunged as China’s regulators have reportedly frozen approvals of game licenses amid a government shakeup.
Online game company Nexon slumped 5.85 percent to 1,318 yen, general game maker Capcom dropped 2.70 percent to 2,558 yen and Nintendo was down 2.95 percent at 34,850 yen.
Toyota fell 0.71 percent to 6,815 yen as Nissan lost 0.38 percent to 1,033.5 yen.
Panasonic dropped 1.13 percent to 1,390.5 yen with Sony down 0.39 percent at 6,000 yen.
Tokyo stocks down as Turkey jitters continue
Tokyo stocks down as Turkey jitters continue
- Tokyo stocks erase early gains to finish lower in Wednesday trading, as Turkey’s currency crisis fuels concerns of contagion to other emerging economies
- Tokyo shares opened higher after Wall Street advanced on Tuesday as Turkey’s lira recovered some ground
Silver crosses $77 mark while gold, platinum stretch record highs
- Spot silver touched an all-time high of $77.40 earlier today, marking a 167% year-to-date surge driven by supply deficits
- Spot platinum rose 9.8% to $2,437.72 per ounce, while palladium surged 14 percent to $1,927.81, its highest level in over 3 years
Silver breached the $77 mark for the first time on Friday, while gold and platinum hit record highs, buoyed by expectations of US Federal Reserve rate cuts and geopolitical tensions that fueled safe-haven demand.
Spot silver jumped 7.5% to $77.30 per ounce, as of 1:53 p.m. ET (1853 GMT), after touching an all-time high of $77.40 earlier today, marking a 167% year-to-date surge driven by supply deficits, its designation as a US critical mineral, and strong investment inflows.
Spot gold was up 1.2% at $4,531.41 per ounce, after hitting a record $4,549.71 earlier. US gold futures for February delivery settled 1.1% higher at $4,552.70.
“Expectations for further Fed easing in 2026, a weak dollar and heightened geopolitical tensions are driving volatility in thin markets. While there is some risk of profit-taking before the year-end, the trend remains strong,” said Peter Grant, vice president and senior metals strategist at Zaner Metals.
Markets are anticipating two rate cuts in 2026, with the first likely around mid-year amid speculation that US President Donald Trump could name a dovish Fed chair, reinforcing expectations for a more accommodative monetary stance.
The US dollar index was on track for a weekly decline, enhancing the appeal of dollar-priced gold for overseas buyers.
On the geopolitical front, the US carried out airstrikes against Daesh militants in northwest Nigeria, Trump said on Thursday.
“$80 in silver is within reach by year-end. For gold, the next objective is $4,686.61, with $5,000 likely in the first half of next year,” Grant added.
Gold remains poised for its strongest annual gain since 1979, underpinned by Fed policy easing, central bank purchases, ETF inflows, and ongoing de-dollarization trends.
On the physical demand side, gold discounts in India widened to their highest in more than six months this week as a relentless price rally curbed retail buying, while discounts in China narrowed sharply from last week’s five-year highs.
Elsewhere, spot platinum rose 9.8% to $2,437.72 per ounce, having earlier hit a record high of $2,454.12 while palladium surged 14% to $1,927.81, its highest level in more than three years.
All precious metals logged weekly gains, with platinum recording its strongest weekly rise on record.
