[Today's Market] April 13 — Even with Black Monday avoided, upside remains heavy
The Tokyo market on the 13th opened with broad selling across many issues.
The Nikkei stock average finished trading at 56,502 yen, down 421 yen from the previous day.
What had been feared as a Black Monday-scale drop was ultimately avoided.
In the previous sessions, U.S. markets saw some buying when CPI came in below market expectations, but the rise was limited.
Dow Jones Industrial Average fell,Nasdaq Composite rose, leaving a mixed, directionless close.
Following this in the Tokyo market.
Although selling led from the morning, the market did not deteriorate as much as feared.
That was the impression of the day.
However, the upside is also heavy.
With President Trump hinting at a reverse blockade on Iran’s ports, the rebound was firmly capped.
Honestly, this environment is quite tricky to trade.
On the other hand, looking at individual stocks, the trend is clear.
Kioxia once again updated its highs.
JX Holdings continued its gains.
Funds flowed into Kishikei Manufacturing (physical AI-related) and Fujikura (AI data-center-related).
Theme stocks are attracting solid funds.
On days when indices are held down like today, funds tend to move into individual stocks.
◆ Today’s Market Summary
・Nikkei average down 421 yen to 56,502
・Black Monday-scale drop avoided
・U.S. market showed lackluster direction
・Upside capped by hints of reverse blockade
・Theme stocks (AI, data centers) continued to attract funds
・Divergence between index and individual stocks widened
◆ Investor Notes
The current market is very characteristic.
Index-wise, it’s weak.
Individually, it’s strong.
This gap.
Moreover,
Crude oil rose back toward the $104 range.
The dollar-yen rate hovered around 160 yen.
There is no sign of stability in the materials front.
In other words, funds are fleeing to themes amid an unstable market.
In this situation,
Do not let the index strength/weakness sway you.
Watch where the funds are going.
This is important.
Rather than forcing to grab the overall market,
secure what you can reliably obtain.
That mindset is more appropriate now.
We should continue to stay vigilant and monitor carefully.