I believe that a major market crash is highly likely next week, and I have already purchased put options. This is not an emotional reaction but the result of calmly stacking multiple independent risk factors.
The market today is ignoring warning signs, misinterpreting unresolved issues as “resolved,” and continuing to rise in a state of complacency. When this distortion is corrected, the market will move violently.
1. The Nikkei is showing the classic pattern seen right before a major top
Since the Nikkei crossed 40,000 in 2024, the acceleration of the rise has become increasingly pronounced. Once it exceeded 41,000, the angle of ascent became unnaturally steep.
This is the exact dangerous pattern that has appeared before every major crash in the past. And the current market meets all the conditions that precede a crash.
The market refuses to acknowledge its own overheating, insisting: “This is real demand,” “It will go higher.”
But every crash I’ve seen in my life has always occurred at this very peak of complacency.
The Japanese market today is extremely close to that classic setup.
2. Despite no progress toward ending the war, the market behaves as if peace is imminent
This is the most dangerous misunderstanding in the current market.
In the U.S.–Iran situation:
-
The war has not ended
-
There is no framework for a ceasefire
-
The probability of negotiations reaching an agreement is low
Yet the market is behaving as if “peace is practically guaranteed.”
This is completely irrational.
The correct assessment is:
-
Even the agreement to start negotiations is not secured
-
There is no “path to peace” anywhere
-
Ceasefire conditions remain unclear
In other words, the optimism priced in by the market is based on “non‑existent reassurance.”
3. The June 10, 2026 intervention pushed the yen from the 160s to the low 155s in one move
On June 10, 2026, the Japanese government and the Bank of Japan drove the yen sharply higher, from the high 160s to the low 155s in a single move. It was a massive intervention estimated at around 5 trillion yen, a clear message that “the 160s will not be tolerated.”
And now, the yen has once again weakened into the 161 range. The risk of another intervention is extremely high.
If authorities do not intervene at this level, the market will assume that the government now tolerates the 161 range.
For policymakers, that is absolutely unacceptable. Failing to act here would signal:
-
“The June 10 intervention failed.”
-
“The government has surrendered to yen weakness.”
The market is underestimating this “implicit FX line,” but if another intervention occurs, the stock market will undoubtedly shake.
Ideally, the authorities would prefer a coordinated intervention, but with a new Fed Chair just taking office, U.S. decision‑making may not yet be settled, making this a very difficult moment.
4. Japan’s semiconductor‑driven frenzy will collapse the moment that single pillar breaks
The Japanese market today is being pulled upward almost entirely by semiconductor‑related stocks. This means, conversely, “if semiconductors fall, everything falls.”
AI expectations, bullish semiconductor demand forecasts, U.S. tech strength— if any of these weaken even slightly, there is nothing left to support the market.
A one‑legged market collapses the moment that leg breaks.
5. The market is being whipsawed by Trump’s statements—an abnormal situation
President Trump says:
-
“The war will end” one day
-
“We will go to war” the next
These completely opposite statements are repeated daily.
The real problem is that the market reacts violently every single time.
In times of high uncertainty, the market should be cautious. But today, uncertainty itself is being treated as a “bullish factor”— an abnormal and unsustainable condition.
This distortion will inevitably be corrected.
A Major Crash Is Highly Likely
The market is currently:
-
Misinterpreting unresolved issues as “resolved”
-
Underestimating FX intervention risk
-
Ignoring the fragility of semiconductor dependence
-
Being whipsawed by Trump’s unpredictability
-
Overlooking the danger of excessive margin buying
All of these risks coexist, and the market is ignoring them.
I judge this situation to be deeply dangerous, and therefore I have purchased put options.
A crash is no longer a matter of “prediction” but of “probability.” The backlash from overheating always arrives suddenly. This may very well be that moment.