Thursday, November 30, 2006

Tokyo consumer finance sector sees big gains

by Elaine Frei

New data on the growth of the US economy helped the Tokyo equities markets to gains on Thursday.  Both export-focused and domestic stocks benefited.  The Nikkei 225 added 1.2 percent to 16,274.33, while the Topix index gained 1.5 percent to 1,603.03.  The Mothers index of small and mid-cap stocks did ever better, ending 2.5 percent [...]

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Export-focused shares up in Tokyo

by Brian Turner

Data showing that factory output in Japan was up a seasonally-adjusted 1.6 percent in October sent the Tokyo equities markets higher on Wednesday. The Nikkei 225 went back over the 16,000 mark, ending the session 1.4 percent higher to 16,076.20. The Topix index added 1.6 percent to 1,580.10. The best factory performance [...]

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Hong Kong index drops more than 550 points

by Elaine Frei

In Hong Kong on Tuesday, the Hang Seng index dropped 2.9 percent to 18,639.53.  The index fell 564.48 points, its worst one-day loss since the day after the September 11 attacks in the United States in 2001.  The declines came after recent gains that sent the Hang Seng to an all-time closing high of 19,265.32 [...]

Monday, November 27, 2006

NTT gains on fibre-optics

by Elaine Frei

In Tokyo on Monday equities markets saw gains, especially in domestically-focused stocks, as the Nikkei 225 added 1 percent to 15,885.38 and the Topix index ended the session 1 percent higher as well, at 1,553.01.
Export-focused stocks did not have as good a day of it.  In the electronics sector, Sony dropped 0.7 percent to ¥4,570 [...]

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Softbank adds 8.4 percent on session

by Brian Turner

The Tokyo equities markets were substantially higher on Wednesday. The Nikkei 225 added 1.1 percent to 15,914.23 and the Topix index gained 1.3 percent to 1,552.87, while the Mothers index of small and mid-cap stocks was up 6 percent to 1,069.72 following multi-year lows reached earlier in the week. The gain in the [...]

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Shipping higher in Tokyo

by Brian Turner

Tokyo equities markets moved very little on Tuesday after Monday’s declines. Banks were still weak, but the consumer finance and electronics sectors saw gains. The Nikkei 225 added 0.1 percent to 15,734.14, while the Topix index dropped 0.1 percent to 1,532.95.
Bridgestone dropped 1.6 percent to ¥2,405 in reaction to Monday’s announcement by the [...]

Monday, November 20, 2006

Topix falls 2.5 percent on session

by Elaine Frei

Investor worries about the US economy helped send the Tokyo equities markets significantly lower on Monday.  The Nikkei 225 was 2.3 percent lower to 15,725.94, while the Topix index fell 2.5 percent to 1,533.94.  The Mothers index of small and mid-cap stocks declined even further, dropping 6.2 percent to 1,022.54.  Another possible reason for the [...]

Friday, November 17, 2006

Nikkei, Topix each drop 0.5 percent

by Elaine Frei

In Tokyo on Friday both the Nikkei 225 and the Topix index fell by 0.5 percent, to 16,091.73 and 1,573.54 respectively.  Some of the declines were due to declines in the oil sector as crude oil prices fell, while the banking sector was also lower.
The semiconductors sector saw gains on the session on a report [...]

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Topix down 0.6 percent on session

by Elaine Frei

The Tokyo equities markets were lower on Thursday after the Bank of Japan chose to maintain interest rates at their current level.  The Nikkei 225 dropped. 0.5 percent to 16,163.87, while the Topix index was 0.6 percent lower to 1,582.04.  Declines came in both domestic and export-focused sectors.
Real estate was one exception to the declines [...]

Monday, November 13, 2006

Topix index closes 0.8 percent lower

by Elaine Frei

Tokyo equities markets saw decline on Monday as the Nikkei 225 fell 0.6 percent to 16,022.46 after going below 16,000 earlier in the day.  The Topix index was 0.8 percent lower to 1,568.76.
The losses came on anticipated gross domestic product figures, due Tuesday, which many expect will say that the Japanese economy only grew at [...]

Wednesday, November 8, 2006

Nikkei 225 drops 1.1 percent

by Elaine Frei

The Tokyo equities markets were lower on Wednesday on sell-offs in the telecommunications sector.  The Nikkei 225 dropped 16,215.74, a decline of 1.1 percent, while the Topix index was 1.2 percent lower to 1,597.50.
The automobile manufacturing sector saw gains.  Toyota Motor added 1.8 percent to ¥7,230 after it reported record profits in an interim report [...]

Tuesday, November 7, 2006

Topix index holds at 1,616.68

by Elaine Frei

Monday’s rally on Wall Street, in which the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 119 points, helped send the Nikkei 225 higher in Tokyo on Tuesday, but the Topix index remained steady thanks to declines in the banking sector.  The Nikkei added 0.2 percent to 16,393.41, while the Topix remained at 1,616.68.
The transport equipment sector was [...]

Monday, November 6, 2006

Nikkei adds just 0.1 percent

by Elaine Frei

The Tokyo markets were nearly even on Monday but ended mixed, with the Nikkei 225 0.1 percent higher to 16,364.76 but the Topix index ending 0.1 percent lower to 1,616.71.  Much of the losses came in sectors that depend on exports, with investors worried that new data on unemployment will make the US Federal Reserve [...]

Thursday, November 2, 2006

Tokyo metals sectors 0.4 percent lower

by Elaine Frei

The Tokyo equities markets were lower on Thurdsay, with both the Nikkei 225 and the Topix index dropping 0.2 percent, to 16,350.02 and 1,619.02 respectively.  Both export-focused and domestic sectors were instrumental in the declines.
Stocks in technology sectors were hit by bad news out of the United States, including declines in the semiconductors sector and [...]

Wednesday, November 1, 2006

Nikkei drops 0.2 percent; Topix adds 0.3 percent

by Elaine Frei

The Nikkei 225 was lower on Wednesday in Tokyo, falling 0.2 percent to 16,375.26, while the Topix index gained 0.3 percent to 1,622.51 as banks saw advances.
The banking sector was up 1.4 percent as a whole after the Bank of Japan issued a strong report on the economy.  Mitsubishi UFJ added 1.4 percent, matching the [...]