In the aftermath of Wednesday’s trading session, Japan’s stock market witnessed a downturn, with the Nikkei 225 closing 0.32% lower. The decline was driven by setbacks in the Transportation Equipment, Marine Transport, and Textile sectors, leading to an overall dip in share values.
At the closing bell in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 stood at a 0.32% decrease.
Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. (TYO:5801) emerged as one of the top performers during the session, experiencing a 4.30% rise or an increase of 100.00 points, concluding at 2,423.00. CyberAgent Inc (TYO:4751) also demonstrated strong performance, posting a 3.47% increase or 30.50 points, closing at 909.20. Mitsubishi Corp. (TYO:8058) witnessed a positive trend with a 3.09% gain, adding 76.50 points and settling at 2,551.00 during late trade.
Conversely, Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc. (TYO:9501) faced challenges, marking a 4.53% decline or a decrease of 38.40 points, concluding at 810.20. Fujitsu Ltd. (TYO:6702) experienced a 4.07% drop, losing 825.00 points and finishing at 19,460.00. Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. (TYO:4568) recorded a 3.80% decrease, down by 172.00 points and settling at 4,352.00.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange observed 2498 declining stocks compared to 1156 advancing ones, with 238 remaining unchanged.
The Nikkei Volatility, measuring the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, increased by 0.31%, reaching a new 1-month high at 22.47.
In the commodities market, crude oil for March delivery experienced a 0.63% decline, falling by 0.46 to $72.06 a barrel. Brent oil for delivery in March also saw a 0.54% decrease, losing 0.42 to reach $77.87 a barrel. Meanwhile, the February Gold Futures contract recorded a 0.47% drop, down by 9.50 points to trade at $2,020.70 per troy ounce.
The USD/JPY pair showed a 0.48% increase, reaching 147.88, while the EUR/JPY pair rose by 0.31% to 160.55.
The US Dollar Index Futures increased by 0.21%, closing at 103.33.