Tokyo, Japan – On Friday, Japan’s stock market saw a downturn as losses in key sectors such as Fishery, Railway & Bus, and Finance & Investment weighed heavily on investor sentiment.
The Nikkei 225 index closed the trading session with a decline of 1.46%, marking a challenging day for Japanese equities.
Among the notable gainers on the Nikkei 225 were Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (TYO:7011), which surged by 5.93% or 81.00 points to settle at 1,446.00 by the close. Similarly, Obayashi Corp. (TYO:1802) saw an increase of 3.85% or 69.00 points, finishing at 1,862.50, while Tokyo Tatemono Co., Ltd. (TYO:8804) experienced a rise of 3.73% or 95.00 points, concluding at 2,640.50 in late trade.
On the other hand, the session witnessed notable declines, with Lasertec Corp (TYO:6920) leading the downturn by falling 2.24% or 960.00 points to reach 41,970.00 at the close. Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (TYO:4183) also recorded a decline of 2.21% or 98.00 points, settling at 4,328.00, followed by Nippon Yusen K.K (TYO:9101), which decreased by 1.73% or 72.00 points to 4,078.00.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange observed 2,868 rising stocks, 835 declining ones, and 180 unchanged at the end of the trading session.
Tokyo Tatemono Co., Ltd. (TYO:8804) notably hit 5-year highs, experiencing a surge of 3.73% or 95.00 to 2,640.50.
The Nikkei Volatility index, which gauges the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, rose by 2.99% to 19.28.
In commodities trading, crude oil for May delivery saw an increase of 2.16% or 1.76 to $83.11 a barrel. Meanwhile, Brent oil for delivery in June rose marginally by 0.05% or 0.04, reaching $86.99 a barrel, and the June Gold Futures contract surged by 1.90% or 42.10 to trade at $2,254.80 a troy ounce.
The USD/JPY exchange rate saw a slight increase of 0.05% to 151.44, while EUR/JPY experienced a minor decline of 0.06% to 163.15.
The US Dollar Index Futures edged up by 0.20% to 104.27, reflecting a mixed sentiment in the currency markets.