Nikkei 225 Falls 0.68% to 29,486.51, Extending Five-Session Losing Streak on Wall Street Weakness

Japan's Nikkei 225 Index dropped 201.82 points, or 0.68%, to 29,486.51 on Thursday, hitting an intraday low of 29,469.83 and extending losses for a fifth straight session following negative cues from Wall Street. SoftBank Group fell more than 2% and Fast Retailing lost nearly 2%. Automakers were mixed, with Toyota down 0.3% and Honda nearly 2% lower. Banks declined broadly: Mitsubishi UFJ almost 2%, Mizuho 1.5%, and Sumitomo Mitsui over 1%. Shipping stocks were among the heaviest losers, with Eisai and Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha plunging more than 7% each, Nippon Yusen down over 5%, and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines nearly 4% lower. CyberAgent surged over 7%, while Rakuten Group gained more than 3%. On Wednesday, the Dow slid 0.6% to 35,931.05, the Nasdaq fell 0.3% to 15,921.57, and the S&P 500 dipped 0.3% to 4,688.67. West Texas Intermediate crude settled down about 3% at $78.36 a barrel, its lowest close in over a month. The dollar traded in the 114-yen range.