Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Probe rumors hurt Goodwill Group in Tokyo

by Elaine Frei

Both the Nikkei 225 and the Topix index saw gains in Tokyo on Wednesday despite problems in communications caused by a significant earthquake off the coast of Taiwan.  The Nikkei added 0.31 percent to 17,223.15, while the Topix gained 0.27 percent to 1,676.95.
Nippon Steel saw a second day of gains in a row as it [...]

Friday, December 22, 2006

Nikkei, Topix end week with gains

by Elaine Frei

After losses early in the session, the Nikkei 225 managed to add 0.3 percent on Friday to close at 17,104.96.  The Topix index was up as well, but only by 0.1 percent to 1,672.10
Miners with exposure to copper were lower on the day after copper prices fell overnight.  Dowa Holdings dropped 2 percent to ¥990, [...]

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Nikkei 225 addes 0.2 percent

by Elaine Frei

Weakness in the yen helped the Tokyo equities markets to make gains on Thursday.  However, advances were limited on the Nikkei because of a scandal in the consumer finance sector.  The Nikkei 225 closed at 17,047.83, a gain of 0.2 percent, while the Topix index added 0.3 percent to 1,671.30.
Export-focused sectors were especially helped by [...]

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Tokyo’s Topix index drops 1.2 percent

by Elaine Frei

The Tokyo equities markets were lower on Tuesday as investors took the opportunity to profit from recent gains in the markets.  The Nikkei 225 dropped 1.1 percent to 16,776,88, while the Topix index was 1.2 percent lower to 1,645.40.  The Mothers index of small caps was also lower, dropping 1.9 percent to 1,127.74.
The real estate [...]

Monday, December 18, 2006

Toshiba gains 1.3 percent on nuclear contract

by Brian Turner

The Nikkei 225 managed to add 0.3 percent to 16,962.11 on Monday, its highest close in seven months, and the Topix index gained 0.5 percent to 1,665.32 on Monday as investors waited for Tuesday’s decision by the Bank of Japan on interest rates.
In the utilities sector, Tokyo Electric Power was 2.1 percent higher to ¥3,800 [...]

Friday, December 15, 2006

Securities sector higher in Tokyo

by Elaine Frei

After a new Tankan report on business sentiment from the Bank of Japan came out about as expected, the Tokyo equities markets were up on Friday.  The Nikkei 225 added 0.5 percent to 16,914.31, while the Topix index gained 0.3 percent to 1,657.40.  Even though the Tankan figures were seen as positive, analysts are still [...]

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Topix, Nikkei each gain 0.8 percent in Tokyo

by Elaine Frei

Export-related stocks were higher on Thursday in Tokyo as the yen continued to stay weak and as new data was released in the United States that showed retail sales rose 1 percent in November.  The Nikkei 225 was 0.8 percent higher to 16,829.20, its highest close in seven months, while the Topix index also ended [...]

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Sharp drops 1.5 percent amid price-fixing probe

by Elaine Frei

The Nikkei 225 and the Topix index both saw gains on Wednesday as export-focused stocks were up, but gains were limited by declines in utilities and in the consumer finance sector.  The Nikkei added 0.3 percent to 16,692.93, while the Topix gained 0.2 percent to 1,639.19.  Meanwhile, the Mothers index of small and mid-cap stocks [...]

Monday, December 11, 2006

Consumer finance sector drops in Tokyo

by Brian Turner

The Tokyo equities markets saw gains on Monday, despite investor caution ahead of a decision on US interest rates by the US Federal Reserve and the release of the latest Tankan survey from the Bank of Japan, both due soon. Also limiting gains was a significant decline in the consumer finance sector. The [...]

Friday, December 8, 2006

Seven & I drops 1.3 percent

by Brian Turner

Equities markets in Tokyo were lower on Friday after new data showed that core machinery orders in the private sector were lower than had been anticipated. The Nikkei 225 dropped 0.3 percent to 16,417.82, while the Topix index was 0.4 percent lower to 1,616.34
Reacting to the new figures on orders, camera-maker Nikon fell 1.6 [...]

Thursday, December 7, 2006

Nikkei 225 adds 0.6 percent on session

by Elaine Frei

Tokyo equities markets were higher on Thursday even though the non-ferrous metals sector declined by 0.4 percent after commodities prices fell in the overnight hours.  The Nikkei 225 added 0.6 percent to 16,473.36, while the Topix index gained 0.5 percent to 1,622.77.
The recent advances in the consumer finance sector seemed to be slowing down.  Takefuji [...]

Wednesday, December 6, 2006

Tokyo consumer finance sector continues gains

by Brian Turner

The Nikkei 225 closed at 16,371.28 on Wednesday, a gain of 0.7 percent on the session and its highest close in a month. The Topix index was also higher, ending 1 percent higher to 1,615.17. Meanwhile, the Mothers index of small and mid-cap stocks was 1 percent higher to 1,116.51. The gains [...]

Tuesday, December 5, 2006

Tokyo export sectors worry about falling dollar

by Brian Turner

The Tokyo equities markets were lower on Tuesday as investors worried about interest rates at home as well as the state of the US dollar and how export-focused business would be affected if it continues to decline. The Nikkei 225 fell 0.2 percent to 16,265.76. The Topix dropped even more, declining 0.6 percent [...]

Monday, December 4, 2006

Tech stocks down in Tokyo

by Elaine Frei

Tokyo’s major stock indices were nearly unchanged on Monday, with the Nikkei 225 slightly lower and the Topix index slightly higher.  However, the Mothers index of small and mid-cap stocks continued its gains with as it gained 1.1 percent to 1,158.58.  The Nikkei closed 0.1 percent lower to 16,303.59, while the Topix added .2 percent [...]