Contagion Concerns Slam Japanese Financials As Toshiba Crashes 50% In 3 Days

After two days of total carnage in Toshiba stocks, bonds, and credit risk, the bloodbath continues with the once-massive Japanese company is collapsing once again in early trading - now down 50% in 3 days. Following the semiconductor and nuclear business catastrophes, the company had nothing to add regarding today's crash but more worryingly the massive loss of market cap is spreading contagiously to Japanese financials with Sumi down 4%, and MUFG down almost 3%.

As we noted yesterday, Tsunukawa said that “I apologize to shareholders, business partners and all stakeholders for the trouble we have caused,” after Toshiba said cost overruns at U.S. nuclear reactors it is building were likely to force a write-down of as much as several billion dollars, clouding its turnaround plan after the 2015 accounting scandal. Specifically, the company said it may have to book several billion dollars in charges related to a U.S. nuclear power plant construction company acquisition, rekindling "concerns about its accounting acumen."

The problem is that the nuclear business, together with the semiconductors, has been positioned as one of key pillars underpinning Toshiba's growth which has been trying to shift away from its consumer electronics core. Alas, the latest gaffe now means that much of Toshiba's growth is gone, and the stock price reflect that overnight, when Toshiba's stock plunged by 20%, the most permitted, before it was halted for trading.

The derisking is weighing heavily on USDJPY..

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