Nikkei Briefly Plunges over 1,000 Points on Yen’s Rise

Jiji Press

11:28 JST, January 26, 2026

Tokyo, Jan. 26 (Jiji Press)—Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average briefly tumbled more than 1,000 points to sink below 53,000 early Monday morning, as selling hit a wide range of issues amid the yen’s surge against the dollar.

At 9:05 a.m., the Nikkei index of 225 selected issues listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s Prime section stood down 1,052.66 points, or 1.95 pct, from Friday at 52,794.21.

After hitting a two-month low around ¥154.20 in early morning trade, the dollar stood at ¥155.15-16 at 9 a.m., sharply down from ¥158.38-38 at 5 p.m. on Friday. Yen buying against the dollar intensified amid speculation over foreign exchange intervention by the Japanese and U.S. authorities, market sources said.