Japanese stocks saw the largest weekly foreign outflow in nearly five months totaling 1.04 trillion yen ($6.95 billion), hit by a stronger yen, rising inflationary concerns, and uncertainties over U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.
This sharp sell-off for the week ended February 22, marks the largest weekly net sales since September 21, 2024, according to data released by by the country’s Ministry of Finance.
The Nikkei share average hit a five-month low of 37084.44 on Friday, dragged by chip-related stocks after Nvidia’s strong growth forecast did little to lift sentiment.
Despite the equities outflow, Japanese long-term bonds attracted 438 billion yen in net inflows for the second consecutive week, while short-term bills saw 478.4 billion yen in outflows.
Japanese investors modestly purchased overseas equities, adding 19.7 billion yen, following a much larger 345.4 billion yen buy in the previous week.
On the other hand, there was a net sale of 200.8 billion yen in long-term foreign debt securities, ending a two-week buying streak.