Monday, February 27, 2006

Banking, steel lead Tokyo higher

by Brian Turner

The Tokyo equities markets were up on Monday on gains in the banking and steel sectors. The Nikkei 225 and the Topix index were each up by 0.6 percent to 16,192.95 and 1,656.82 respectively.
Despite the gains, the real estate sector was down for the day even though indications are that foreign investment is [...]

Yen gains on PM comments

by Brian Turner

The yen was up again on Monday in morning trade in Europe as the Japanese government sent signals that they might be closer to acquiescing to the Bank of Japan’s feeling that the time to begin tightening monetary policy might soon arrive. Despite recent statements from various government officials that deflation has not yet [...]

Friday, February 24, 2006

Tokyo markets gain on domestic shares

by Brian Turner

Japanese equities markets were up slightly on Friday as domestic stocks tended to rise while export-focused companies were generally down on the day as the yen gained value in relation to the US dollar.
The Nikkei closed up 0.1 percent to 16,101.91, while the Topix index gained 0.4 percent to 1,647.74.
Among the sectors to see losses [...]

Yen advances on hopes for policy change

by Brian Turner

The Japanese yen hit a four-week high against the US dollar in morning trade in Europe on Friday as anticipation grew that the Bank of Japan will soon abandon it’s loose monetary policy. The speculation has been accelerated by comments made by the governor of the Bank of Japan on Friday that repeated his [...]

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Yen up amid policy change talk

by Brian Turner

The Japanese yen was up in morning trade in Europe on Thursday as the governor of the Bank of Japan made comments to a committee of parliament that seemed to imply that the Bank’s loose monetary policy is about to end. This move, when it is made, is expected to allow interest rates in [...]

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Japanese equities down on chip-related shares

by Brian Turner

The Tokyo equities markets were down on Wednesday as chip-related shares followed their American counterparts lower.
The Nikkei 225, which is heavily weighted for technology stocks, dropped 0.7 percent on the day to 15,762.54, while the Topix index dropped only 0.2 percent, helped out somewhat by rising steel shares.
Nippon Steel, Japan’s largest steel maker, gained 1.2 [...]

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Tokyo markets up on domestic rebound

by Brian Turner

Reversing recent declines, domestic sectors in Japan posted huge gains on Tuesday, sending the Nikkei 225 and Topix indicies up to their sharpest rises in three weeks.
The Nikkei was up a full 3 percent to 15,894.94, while the Topix index gained 2.5 percent to 1,612.56.
The real estate sector had the largest gains, up 8.1 percent [...]

Monday, February 20, 2006

Tokyo markets fall again

by Brian Turner

The Tokyo markets fell substantially on Monday as declines continued in domestic sectors, with foreign selling a huge factor in the drops. The Nikkei 225 was down 1.8 percent to 15,437.93, while the Topix index dropped 2.1 percent to 1,572.11.
The banking sector as a whole was down 3 percent after Mitsubishi UFJ cut its [...]

Friday, February 17, 2006

Domestic stocks lead Nikkei, Topix lower

by Brian Turner

In Tokyo on Friday, the equities markets were down on declines in domestic stocks, including the real estate sector, which fell as foreign investors continued to pull out of the Japanese market.
The Nikkei 225 was down 2.1 percent on the day to 15,713.45, a three-week low, and the Topix index dropped 1.6 percent to 1,605.33.
Real [...]

Yen down as deflation persists

by Brian Turner

The Japanese yen was down in morning trade in Europe on Friday, as hints of continuing deflationary pressures outweighed news that the gross domestic product in Japan was up more than had been expected in the fourth quarter of 2005.
The Japanese GDP was up 1.4 percent in the last quarter of 2005, against an expected [...]

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Foreign investors leave Tokyo markets

by Brian Turner

Information released Thursday by the Japanese Ministry of Finance showed that overseas investors left the Japanese equities markets in larger numbers last week than they entered it for the first time since September, and indications are that this will be the case this week as well. If this turns out to be the case, [...]

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Tokyo markets lower on domestic stocks

by Brian Turner

In Tokyo on Wednesday, the Nikkei 225 and Topix indexes both were down, with the Nikkei closing down by 1.6 percent to 15,932.83. The Topix fell 0.7 percent to 1,624.28.
While real estate was down, the banking sector was up while securities brokers had a mixed day.
The three largest securities houses all rose on the [...]

Monday, February 13, 2006

Tokyo markets down on lower oil prices

by Brian Turner

The Nikkei and Topix indexes both saw declines in Tokyo on Monday as domestic stocks and stocks related to the commodities markets fell on the day.
The Nikkei 225 closed below 16,000 for the first time in over two weeks as it dropped 2.3 percent to 15,877.66. The Topix index fell 2.5 percent to 1,618.01.
Mitsui [...]

Thursday, February 9, 2006

Bank of Japan declines to alter monetary policy

by Brian Turner

The Japanese yen saw mixed success on Thursday. It gained fractionally against the US dollar to ¥118.55 and rising 0.1 percent to ¥206.33 in relation to sterling. However, it dropped 0.1 percent to ¥141.79 against the euro.
These slight moves by the yen came after the Bank of Japan did not make any adjustments to its [...]

Tokyo markets gain on tech strength

by Brian Turner

The Tokyo equities markets were sent up on Thursday, primarily by gains in the technology sector and despite losses in sea transport companies.
The Nikkei 225 was up 1 percent to 16,439.67. Meanwhile, the Topix index gained 0.7 percent to 1,682.26.
In the sea transport sector, shipper Nippon Yusen dropped 8.4 percent to ¥790 when it [...]

Tuesday, February 7, 2006

Yen up sharply

by Brian Turner

The Japanese yen was up sharply on Tuesday as speculation rose that the Bank of Japan may be getting ready to tighten its monetary policy. The yen was up 0.8 percent in relation to the US dollar, to ¥118.03. It also rose 0.8 percent against the euro to ¥141.26, while it gained 1 [...]

Sunday, February 5, 2006

Japanese markets down slightly; some sectors buck trend

by Brian Turner

Japanese equities markets were down slightly on Friday under the influence of quarterly earnings reports and other news form the corporate world.
The Nikkei fell 0.3 percent to 16,659.64. The Topix was down 0.2 percent to 1,707.96.
Several sectors and companies bucked the general trend, however. The paper and pulp sector [...]