Tokyo equities ended the trading day in the red on Wednesday, driven by losses in the Paper & Pulp, Transport and Communication sectors that pushed overall share prices lower.
At the close in Tokyo the Nikkei 225 lost 0.63% to reach a new all time high level. Market breadth showed more winners than losers on the day as 2,190 stocks advanced versus 1,399 that fell, and 233 names finished unchanged on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
The session's top performers on the Nikkei 225 included NSK Ltd. (TYO:6471), which climbed 9.21% or 102.00 points to finish at 1,210.00. Hino Motors, Ltd. (TYO:7205) also posted strong gains, adding 8.02% or 36.00 points to close at 485.00, while Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. (TYO:4005) rose 7.96% or 40.30 points to end the day at 546.80.
On the downside, NEC Corp. (TYO:6701) tumbled 11.79% or 631.00 points to trade at 4,722.00 at the close. Nintendo Co Ltd (TYO:7974) declined 10.98% or 1,107.00 points to finish at 8,973.00, and Recruit Holdings Co Ltd (TYO:6098) fell 10.10% or 843.00 points to 7,501.00.
Notable price milestones were recorded during the session. Shares of NSK Ltd. rose to 5-year highs with the 9.21% gain to 1,210.00. Sumitomo Chemical's shares advanced to 3-year highs after the 7.96% rise to 546.80. Conversely, Nintendo shares dropped to 52-week lows when they closed down 10.98% at 8,973.00.
Implied volatility for the Nikkei 225 eased modestly, with the Nikkei Volatility index down 1.35% to 35.83.
Commodity markets saw varied movement. Crude oil for March delivery increased 0.87% or 0.55 to $63.76 a barrel. Brent oil for April delivery rose 0.71% or 0.48 to $67.81 a barrel. In precious metals, the April Gold Futures contract gained 3.31% or 163.11 to trade at $5,098.11 a troy ounce.
Currency pairs showed modest strength in the yen crosses. USD/JPY rose 0.39% to 156.35, while EUR/JPY increased 0.46% to 184.96. The US Dollar Index Futures was slightly lower, down 0.07% at 97.23.
Session summary
- Overall market closed lower with the Nikkei 225 down 0.63% to a new all time high level.
- Advancers outnumbered decliners on the Tokyo Stock Exchange: 2,190 up, 1,399 down, 233 unchanged.
- Individual stock moves were pronounced, with multi-digit percentage gains and declines among major names.