Japan’s stock market witnessed a decline at the close of trading on Friday, with losses primarily driven by sectors such as Paper & Pulp, Shipbuilding, and Banking.
The Nikkei 225 index, a prominent gauge of the Japanese stock market, ended the session down by 0.33%.
Among the notable gainers on the Nikkei 225 were Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc., which saw a rise of 13.03%, followed by Inpex Corp. with a gain of 4.45%, and Tokyu Fudosan, up by 3.92%.
Conversely, Tokyo Electron Ltd., Lasertec Corp, and SUMCO Corp. were among the session’s biggest losers, experiencing declines of 4.86%, 4.29%, and 4.15%, respectively.
According to market data, the number of rising stocks surpassed declining ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, with 1942 stocks registering gains, 1712 recording losses, and 225 remaining unchanged.
Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc. reached a five-year high, while Tokyu Fudosan hit an all-time high during the trading session.
The Nikkei Volatility index, which measures implied volatility, decreased by 0.74% to 21.36.
In commodities trading, crude oil prices for April delivery dipped slightly to $81.12 a barrel, while Brent oil for May delivery fell to $85.27 a barrel. Meanwhile, the April Gold Futures contract rose to $2,172.05 a troy ounce.
The currency pair USD/JPY experienced a minor decline of 0.02%, while EUR/JPY fell by 0.06%.
The US Dollar Index Futures showed a marginal increase of 0.06%, reaching 103.06.
Overall, the market performance reflected a mixed sentiment, with certain sectors witnessing gains while others faced notable declines.