The Nikkei 225 Index declined by 0.33%, finishing at 63,082 on Monday, thereby extending losses from the prior session. This downturn follows a cautious outlook issued by memory chipmaker Kioxia Holdings, which has sparked concerns that the growth in demand driven by AI may be starting to moderate.
After the company reported operating profit of ¥2 trillion for the December quarter, which was marginally higher than its previous quarter’s ¥1.99 trillion and represented a deceleration from the robust earnings growth seen in recent quarters, Kioxia shares fell 15.8%.
Screen Holdings also experienced a decline of 19% after management maintained its full-year guidance, despite reporting record order intake and ongoing strength in the semiconductor equipment market. Other significant declines within the technology sector encompassed Ibiden, which fell by 3.8%, Taiyo Yuden with a decrease of 3%, and SoftBank Group, which experienced a drop of 1.6%.
