{
  "id": 2296198,
  "title": "Nikkei set for worst week in over a month amid Middle East uncertainty",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/nikkei-set-for-worst-week-in-over-a-month-amid-middle-east-uncertainty",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-21T03:45:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Business Times - Companies & Markets",
    "slug": "the-business-times-companies-markets",
    "url": "https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/capital-markets-currencies/nikkei-set-worst-week-over-month-amid-middle-east-uncertainty"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Japan’s Nikkei share average experienced a steep decline on Friday, Aug 21, hinting at a potentially disastrous week, as Middle East tensions escalated and oil prices surged, amplifying inflation concerns. The Nikkei sank 0.3 percent by midday, setting the stage for a staggering 4 percent week-on-week loss, the worst since the week concluding on July 17. The broader Topix mirrored the trend, dropping 0.1 percent and on track for a 3.4 percent weekly decline. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Thursday that the United States would enforce \"the toughest sanctions in history\" against Iran, in an attempt to resolve the ongoing six-month-long conflict. The move resulted in crude oil prices jumping by approximately US$2 overnight. Inflation worries further aggravated the situation, pushing Japanese bond yields higher, with the 10-year government note's yield increasing by 3 basis points to 2.875 percent on Friday. Maki Sawada, a strategist at Nomura Securities, commented that profit-taking may be imminent as markets grapple with the volatility stemming from the Middle East situation. Major components such as Uniqlo operator Fast Retailing and AI-focused startup investor SoftBank Group suffered significant losses, contributing significantly to the Nikkei’s downturn. Notably, the Nikkei's performance was fairly evenly split, with 119 of its 225 components falling, 103 rising, and three trading at par. Shipping emerged as the top sector among the 33 industry groups on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, jumping 2.8 percent due to expectations of rising freight rates, even as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed.",
  "summary": "The broader Topix dropped 0.1%, on track for a 3.4% weekly slide",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}