The Nikkei Stock Average opened at 64,768.53 on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on the 10th, down 374.25 points from the previous close and marking a third consecutive daily decline. Selling followed losses across the three major U.S. indexes on the 9th, when the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 405.41 points to 52,380.66, the Nasdaq Composite dropped 168.07 points to 26,253.33, and the S&P 500 declined 37.16 points to 7,636.36. Nikkei futures (contracts tracking the index) had settled at 64,175, down 1,085 points from the Osaka exchange settlement on the 9th and about 968 points below the previous Nikkei close, pointing to selling pressure before the open. Selected semiconductor shares provided support despite the decline in U.S. technology stocks. The dollar-yen pair remained in the mid-153 yen range and the euro-yen cross in the mid-178 yen range, offering little fresh impetus to the broader market, although further yen weakness could support exporters. The Bank of Japan is scheduled to release its August Corporate Goods Price Index, a measure of wholesale price trends, with investors watching whether higher crude oil futures prices have lifted import costs and affected expectations for corporate expenses and monetary policy. After the Nikkei’s 1,130.51-point drop on the 8th and volatile trading on the 9th, attention is turning to whether the index can reduce its losses during the morning session or face renewed selling.