Thursday, August 31, 2006

Japan Airport up on Olympics bid

by Brian Turner

Tokyo equities markets were higher on Thursday after the yen fell to yet another record low in relation to the euro. The yen fell in reaction to weak industrial output data. Export-focused stocks did especially well as investors believed that the euro’s strength against the yen would make Japanese goods more attractive to [...]

Monday, August 28, 2006

Topix drops 1.2 percent

by Brian Turner

The Tokyo equities markets were lower on Monday, with the Nikkei 225 falling by 1.1 percent to 15,7562.59 and the Topix index dropping 1.2 percent to 1,600.25.
There were gainers on the day, however. Nippon Steel added 1.2 percent to ¥495 on a report that it will pay shareholders a dividend for the first time [...]

Friday, August 25, 2006

Paper merger likely a non-starter

by Brian Turner

Equities markets in Tokyo were lower on Friday, with the Nikkei 225 dropping 0.1 percent to 15,938.66 and the Topix index falling 0.2 percent to 1,619.81. Both had been higher earlier in the session as inflation was reported lower than had been expected, indicating that the Bank of Japan won’t raise interest rates soon. [...]

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Banks, securities, real estate all decline in Tokyo

by Brian Turner

Concerns about the state of the US economy sent equities markets in Tokyo lower in Thursday after new data released Wednesday showed that sales of existing houses was down. The Nikkei 225 dropped 1.3 percent to 15,960.62, while the Topix index fell by 1.1 percent to 1,623.03. Both export-focused and domestic stocks were [...]

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Tokyo oil sector up on higher crude oil prices

by Brian Turner

Gains in domestic stocks sent the Nikkei 225 to its highest closing level in three months on Tuesday after new data showed that Japan’s birth rate, which has been dropping, has begun to rise again. The Nikkei 225 added 1.3 percent to 16,181.17, while the Topix index was 1.1 percent higher to 1,641.77.
The birth [...]

Monday, August 21, 2006

Domestics, exporters both fall in Tokyo

by Brian Turner

The Tokyo equities markets were lower on Monday, with the Nikkei 225 down by 0.9 percent to 15,969.04 and the Topix index 1.1 percent lower to 1,624.21. Domestic sectors were down on profit-taking, while export-focused sectors suffered from investor concerns about the US economy.
In the automobile manufacturing sector, Toyota Motor and Mitsubishi Motors both [...]

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Nikkei down 0.3 percent

by Brian Turner

Despite trade volumes that were at their highest in two months, the Tokyo equities markets were mixed on Thursday, with the Nikkei 225 dropping 0.3 percent to 16,419.42 even as the Topix index added 0.1 percent to close at 1,631.46. Export-focused stocks were helped by falling oil prices, but oil stocks were down on [...]

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Sony drops again

by Brian Turner

In Tokyo on Wednesday, the Nikkei 225 closed at 16,071.36, the first time the index has ended the session above 16,000 since May. The Topix index was also up, by 1.5 percent, to 1,629.73 as both domestically focused and export-reliant stocks saw gains during the day. In addition, the Mothers index of small [...]

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Banks up in Tokyo

by Brian Turner

The Tokyo equities markets were mixed on Tuesday, with the Nikkei 225 dropping 0.3 percent to 15,816.19, while the Topix index added 0.3 percent to 1,605.12.
Among losers on the day was Sony which fell 0.4 percent to ¥5,210 after it was revealed that Dell has had to recall over 4 million laptop computers due to [...]

Wednesday, August 2, 2006

Mothers index gains 5 percent in Tokyo

by Brian Turner

The Tokyo finance markets were higher on Wednesday. The Nikkei 225 and the Topix index each added 0.2 percent, to 15,464.29 and 1,569.65 respectively. The Mothers index of small and mid-caps was even higher, gaining 5 percent to 1,277.3.
Oji Paper was 2.1 percent higher to ¥681 after it said it will continue to [...]