Japan Stock Market May Extend Tuesday's Losses

(RTTNews) - The Japanese stock market on Tuesday ended the five-day winning streak in which it had rallied almost 2,600 points or 3.8 percent. The Nikkei 225 now sits just above the 67,460-point plateau and it's likely to open under water again on Wednesday.

The global forecast for the Asian markets is soft due to concerns over inflation and crude oil prices. The European and U.S. markets were down and the Asian markets figure to follow suit.

The Nikkei finished sharply lower on Tuesday with damage across the board, especially among the technology, paper, machinery and metal companies.

For the day, the index plunged 1,759.52 points or 2.54 percent to finish at 67,460.73 after trading between 67,368.96 and 69,093.20.

The lead from Wall Street is negative as the major averages opened lower on Tuesday and remained in the red throughout the session, ending at session lows.

The Dow shed 116.38 points or 0.22 percent to finish at 53,343.40, while the NASDAQ dropped 355.20 points or 1.33 percent to end at 26,289.71 and the S&P 500 sank 53.30 points or 0.69 percent to close at 7,691.76.

The weakness on Wall Street came amid worries about an increase in bond yields, with the 30-year bond yield reaching its highest levels in nearly two decades before easing. Treasury yields have moved to the upside amid lingering concerns about the outlook for inflation due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Crude oil prices have extended the surge seen over the two previous sessions after President Donald Trump said there are currently no U.S.-Iran talks taking place or scheduled.

Crude oil prices edged higher on Tuesday as hopes for U.S.-Iran talks over the Strait of Hormuz have faded. West Texas Intermediate crude for September delivery was up $0.39 or 0.46 percent at $84.89 per barrel.

In U.S. economic news, the Federal Reserve said industrial production in the U.S. rose by slightly less than expected in the month of July.

Closer to home, Japan will see June data for core machinery orders later this morning, with expectations for a gain of 7.6 percent on month and 10.8 percent on year. That follows contractions of 12.4 percent on month and 1.9 percent on year in May.