Japan's Nikkei 225 index eases for fourth session

Japan's Nikkei share average eased today, giving up initial gains as technology heavyweights fell. Mood in Asian equities was steady but Nikkei fell 0.44% to close at 60,550.59, after rising more than 1% earlier in ‌the session. The index has now ⁠extended ⁠the losing streak to a fourth session. On the economic front, Japan's gross domestic product expanded a seasonally adjusted 0.5 percent on quarter in the first quarter of 2026, the Cabinet Office said in Tuesday's preliminary reading. This was up from the downwardly revised 0.2 percent increase in the three months prior (originally 0.3 percent). On a yearly basis, GDP was up 2.1 percent. Japan's industrial production index was at 102.0 in March, marking a 2.4% increase from the previous year and a 0.4% decrease from February, according to a report from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).