Japan Stocks Plunge on Their First Trading Day of 2019
- Tech stocks slide after Apple lowered its sales outlook
- U.S., China data earlier this week fuel growth concerns
People offer prayers on the first business day of the year at the Kanda Myojin shrine in Tokyo on Jan. 4.
Photographer: James Whitlow Delano/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Japanese stocks fell as global growth concerns dominated the first trading day of 2019, and investors are in no rush to get back.
The Topix index dropped 1.5 percent, with a group of electronics makers weighing the most, while the blue-chip Nikkei 225 Stock Average slid 2.3 percent. Both gauges briefly fell by more than 3 percent in early trading, as Japan resumed trading after a four-day New Year’s holiday. The yen weakened slightly versus the dollar after gaining 2.4 percent during the previous four sessions.