The Nikkei Stock Average fell 473.73 yen, or 0.72%, to 65,743.06 by 11:00 a.m. on the 21st, after dropping as much as 789.10 yen, or 1.19%, at the open. Selling followed gains in U.S. interest rates and declines in major retailers after earnings reports. On the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market, 887 stocks declined, 594 advanced and 69 were unchanged. Fast Retailing was the largest drag, reducing the Nikkei by 275.95 points, followed by SoftBank Group, Recruit Holdings, Shin-Etsu Chemical and Fanuc. Kioxia Holdings provided the largest positive contribution at 40.13 points, ahead of Tokyo Electron, KDDI, Itochu and Kyocera. Toyota Motor was steady, Sony Group edged lower and megabank shares including Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group were modestly firmer. Advantest slipped while Tokyo Electron edged higher. Fifteen of 33 sectors advanced, led by shipping, oil and coal, pulp and paper, and mining, while other products, precision instruments and machinery declined. Investors continued to watch U.S. interest-rate trends and corporate earnings, with Fast Retailing’s high index weighting amplifying the effect of its decline on the Nikkei.