Japan's Nikkei index fell 0.44% on Monday, ending a two-day winning streak. This decline was driven by weak technology stocks, such as Advantest and Tokyo Electron, which followed a negative trend from Wall Street. The market also slipped because several large companies traded "ex-dividend," causing their share prices to adjust downward naturally. While rubber manufacturers were the worst performers of the day, the broader Topix index managed to inch up 0.1%. This small gain was helped by banking stocks, including Mitsubishi UFJ and Mizuho, which rose after reports suggested the Bank of Japan is considering further ... (full story)