Nikkei falls after Trump threatens new tariffs against China

Reuters

Published Jun 18, 2018 10:54PM ET

Nikkei falls after Trump threatens new tariffs against China

By Hideyuki Sano

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese stocks slid on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump's new threat to impose a 10 percent tariff on $200 billion of Chinese goods, escalating a tit-for-tat trade war with Beijing.

The Nikkei share average fell 0.9 percent (N225) to two-week lows of 22,482.89, slipping further from last week's high just above 23,000. The broader Topix (TOPX) declined 0.7 percent to 1,758.35, hitting its lowest levels since June 1.

Trump's remarks came just days after he said on Friday he was pushing ahead with a 25 percent tariff on $50 billion worth of Chinese products, which immediately prompted Beijing to respond in kind.

"Concerns about trade frictions between the U.S. and China intensified after Trump's comments," said Hideyuki Ishiguro, senior strategist at Daiwa Securities.

"Although the latest data showed Japanese exports were strong in May, if China's exports to the United States slow down, that would slow down capital spending in China," he said.

With Washington and Beijing appearing increasingly headed toward open trade conflict, investors dumped shares of companies geared to global trade and Chinese demand.

Shin-etsu Chemical (T:4063) fell 2.9 percent to nine-month lows, having fallen almost 15 percent over the past month.

Construction equipment maker Komatsu (T:6301) fell 1.6 percent, hitting an 8-1/2-month low.

Despite the specter of intensifying protectionism, the current strength of the global economy is also prompting some investors to flock to shares that are perceived to have limited exposures to a trade war.

Tokyo Disney Resort operator Oriental Land Corp (T:4661) hit a record high while Central Japan Railway (T:9022) scaled 3-1/2-year peaks, before giving up gains on profit-taking. They both ended morning trade down 0.2 percent.

Flea market app operator Mercari Inc's (T:4385) started trading at 5,000 yen, 66 percent above its IPO price of 3,000 yen in its Tokyo stock market debut, underscoring strong investor appetite for a rare Japanese unicorn.