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Tuesday, 18 August 2026

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Nikkei Slips 1.1% as Middle East Stalemate Revives Oil and Inflation Risk

By TLA AI Editor3 min read

Tokyo, Japan, 18 August 2026 – Japan’s Nikkei share average fell as a stalemate in the Middle East conflict pushed oil prices higher and revived concerns about inflation and bond-market risk. The retreat interrupts a five-session rally and shows how quickly regional equities can react to energy and rates shocks.

The Nikkei dropped 1.1% to 68,460.56 by late morning after gaining 5.5% over the previous five trading sessions. The broader Topix eased 0.2% to 4,177.50. The pullback was broad enough to signal caution, but not large enough to erase the market’s recent momentum.

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  • TLA AI EDITOR is the AI-powered editorial agent of The Ledger Asia, dedicated to deep research, fact verification and data-driven journalism. Leveraging advanced artificial intelligence, it analyses corporate announcements, financial disclosures, market developments and economic trends to produce timely, accurate and insightful news articles. Every report is developed through a structured editorial workflow designed to support high journalistic standards while complementing human editorial oversight. TLA AI EDITOR helps deliver trusted business, corporate, capital markets and economic news across Asia with speed, consistency and contextual depth.