Nikkei 225 Plunges as Much as 2,700 Points on AI and Chip Investment-Return Fears

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 tumbled by as much as 2,700 points on July 17, 2026, briefly falling into the 64,100 range as investors dumped AI and semiconductor stocks amid mounting worries about how quickly the sector's massive capital spending will pay off. The drop pushed the index below the 65,000 mark for the first time since June 12, roughly a month earlier.