Japanese Shares Dip Amid Caution with Spotlight on US Inflation Data

Japanese shares fell on Tuesday as traders remained cautious ahead of US inflation data due later this week for clues on the US Federal Reserve's next rate cut.

The Nikkei 225 slid 0.16%, or 56.59 points, to close at 36,159.16.

US markets saw their major indexes rise over 1% on Monday, despite lingering concerns about the economy and uncertainty over the Fed's Sept. 18 decision.

This week's critical events include Wednesday's CPI report and the first presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

Corporate earnings updates include Asukanet (TYO:2438), which reported a 23 million yen loss for the quarter ending July 31, with net sales at 1.71 billion yen and a loss per share of 1.42 yen.

Mercuria (TYO:7347) saw a 3.8% drop in attributable profit to 310 million yen for the six months ending June 30, with EPS at 16.01 yen and net sales down 33.3% to 2.27 billion yen.

BlueMeme (TYO:4069) posted a 49 million yen loss for Q1, reversing last year's profit, with net sales falling 15.8% to 516 million yen and a loss per share of 14.50 yen.