Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Nikkei, Topix each drop 0.6 percent on session

by Elaine Frei

Equities markets were lower in Tokyo on Wednesday as profit-taking continued in several sectors.  The Nikkei 225 dropped 0.6 percent to 17,383.42, while the Topix index fell 0.6 percent as well, to 1,721.96.
The shipping sector was lower not only on profit-taking but as crude oil prices rose.  The sector as a whole dropped 1.5 percent.  [...]

Monday, January 29, 2007

Seiyu gains 13.1 percent in Tokyo on merger hopes

by Elaine Frei

In Tokyo on Monday the Nikkei 225 and the Topix index each added 0.3 percent on the session, to close at 17,470.46 and 1,733.59 respectively.
Export-focused sectors benefited as the yen weakened versus the US dollar.  The machinery sector gained 1.4 percent as a whole, with Komatsu ending 3.4 percent higher to ¥2,560.
The steel sector gained [...]

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Sony adds 1.6 percent in Tokyo trade

by Elaine Frei

In Tokyo on Thursday, the Nikkei 225 dropped 0.3 percent to close at 17,485.30 as the yen strengthened after recent weakness.  The decline came after the index achieved another six-year high early in the session.  Despite this, many analysts believe that advances will be limited this year due to shares that they believe are too [...]

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Markets see little movement in Tokyo

by Elaine Frei

The Tokyo equities markets saw very little movement on Tuesday.  The Nikkei 225 was lower, but only by 0.1 percent to 17,408.57, while the Topix index held steady at 1,730.76.
Steelmakers were higher on the session, protecting the markets from losses in other sectors.  Tokyo Steel Manufacturing added 3.2 percent to ¥1,755 an the announcement that [...]

Monday, January 22, 2007

Tokyo banking sector gains 2.2 percent

by Elaine Frei

In the Tokyo equities markets on Monday, the Nikkei 225 ended the trading session at 17,424.18, a gain of 0.7 percent to its highest close in nine months.  Meanwhile, the Topix index added 0.9 percent to 1,730.33.
Two corporations dropped significantly due to scandals.  Construction company Obayashi dropped 5.3 percent to ¥750 after a raid by [...]

Friday, January 19, 2007

Tokyo real estate sector adds 2.3 percent

by Elaine Frei

The Tokyo equities markets were lower on Friday, with the Nikkei 225 down 0.4 percent to 17,310.44 and the Topix index 0.1 percent lower top 1,714.21.  The exception was the Mothers index of small and mid-cap stocks, which added 5.9 percent to 1,247.00 after a 4 percent gain on Thursday.
The semiconductors sector was lower, with [...]

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Banks slightly lower on Bank of Japan rate decision

by Elaine Frei

Tokyo equities markets were higher on Thursday in the wake of the decision by the Bank of Japan to leave interest rates at their current level for the time being.  The Nikkei was 0.6 percent higher to 17,370.93, while the Topix index added 0.5 percent to 1,715.17.  The Mothers market of small and mid-cap stocks [...]

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Tokyo semiconductors sector lower on Intel report

by Elaine Frei

There were slight gains in the Tokyo equities markets on Wednesday as investors continue to hesitate ahead of the Bank of Japan’s interest rate decision, due Thursday.  The Nikkei 225 added 0.3 percent to 17,261.35, while the Topix index was up 0.2 percent to 1,706.76.
The banking sector was lower, dropping 1.1 percent as a whole.  [...]

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Vietnam Index hits new high

by Elaine Frei

With investors seeming to want to hold off on committing their money anywhere before the Bank of Japan makes its decision on interest rates Thursday, the Tokyo equities markets moved very little on Tuesday.  The Nikkei 225 was unchanged at 17,202.46, while the Topix index was lower, but only by 0.1 percent to 1,703.54.
In the [...]

Monday, January 15, 2007

Honda adds 1.7 percent on session

by Elaine Frei

Equities markets in Tokyo were up on Monday, with the Nikkei 225 adding 0.9 percent to 17,209.92 and the Topix index ending 1.1 percent higher to 1,704.58.  The Topix was helped by new data showing that  core machinery orders in the private sector were up 3.8 percent in November.  The new numbers helped not only [...]

Friday, January 12, 2007

Topix adds 1.7 percent on session

by Elaine Frei

The Japanese equities markets were significantly higher on Friday.  The Nikkei 225 added 1.3 percent to 17,057.01, while the Topix index gained 1.7 percent to 1,685.27.  Export-focused sectors were largely responsible for the gains, helped out by a weaker yen.
The electronics sector was up 2 percent as a whole.  Hitachi added 1.3 percent to ¥790, [...]

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Nikkei, Topix each fall 1.7 percent

by Elaine Frei

The Tokyo equities markets were lower on Wednesday as both domestic and export-reliant sectors saw declines.  The Nikkei 225 and the Topix index each dropped 1.7 percent to 16,946.89 and 1,663.
Domestically, the consumer finance sector was mixed when Citigroup said it would close 80 percent of its consumer finance branches in the nation, citing expectations [...]

Tuesday, January 9, 2007

Small, mid-caps decline in Tokyo

by Elaine Frei

The Tokyo equities markets were higher on Tuesday, with the Nikkei 225 adding 0.9 percent to 17,237.77 and the Topix index gaining 1 percent to 1,692.12.  On the other hand, the Mothers market of small and mid-caps saw a loss, dropping 1.3 percent to 1,073.36.
The steel sector added 3 percent as a whole on bids [...]

Friday, January 5, 2007

Tokyo carmakers down on profit taking

by Elaine Frei

The Tokyo equities markets were lower on Friday as trade volumes were low ahead of another holiday weekend.  The Nikkei 225 dropped 1.51 percent to 17,091.51, while the Topix index was 1.4 percent lower to 1,675.33.
The automobile manufacturing sector saw losses as investors took profits after recent gains.  Toyota was down 2.4 percent to ¥7,900, [...]

Thursday, January 4, 2007

Nikkei 225 adds 0.74 percent

by Elaine Frei

In the first trading day since the beginning of the new year, the Tokyo equities markets were higher Thursday as export-dependent shares gained on a weak yen.  The Nikkei 225 added 0.74 percent to 17,353.67, while the Topix index was 1.06 percent higher to 1,698.
In the electronics sector, Sony was up 1.8 percent to ¥5,190, [...]

Tuesday, January 2, 2007

Hang Seng hits new record high

by Elaine Frei

Asian equities markets were up to begin the year.  With Tokyo, Bangkok, and Singapore still closed for holidays, the Taipei market found its highest close since August 2000, while Hong Kong, Jakarta, and Sydney all hitting new all-time highs during the Tuesday session.
In Taipei, technology stocks headed higher after the Taiwan government said on Friday [...]