Japan’s stock market closed higher on Wednesday, with the Nikkei 225 index rising by 0.17%. The positive performance was driven by gains in sectors such as Mining, Chemical, Petroleum & Plastic, and Services.
Key Points:
Top Performers: Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd. (TYO:3099) led the session with a notable increase of 13.57%, followed by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings (TYO:8309) and Sony Corp (TYO:6758), which rose by 8.77% and 8.23%, respectively.
Bottom Performers: Nitori Holdings Co Ltd (TYO:9843) experienced the most significant decline, dropping by 16.10%, while Casio Computer Co., Ltd. (TYO:6952) and Konica Minolta, Inc. (TYO:4902) also registered losses of 11.74% and 8.99%, respectively.
Market Activity: Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones, with 2557 stocks declining, 1129 advancing, and 190 remaining unchanged on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Record Highs: Shares of Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd. (TYO:3099) reached all-time highs during the session, while Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings (TYO:8309) achieved five-year highs.
Volatility: The Nikkei Volatility index, which measures implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, reached a new three-month low, declining by 1.41% to 18.23.
Commodities: Crude oil prices for June delivery rose by 0.69% to $78.56 per barrel, while Brent oil for delivery in July increased by 0.62% to $82.89 per barrel. June Gold Futures also saw a slight uptick, rising by 0.14% to $2,363.15 per troy ounce.
Currency Exchange: The USD/JPY pair experienced a marginal decrease of 0.03%, while the EUR/JPY pair rose slightly by 0.01%. The US Dollar Index Futures remained relatively stable, decreasing by 0.04% to 104.85.
Overall, the Nikkei 225 index showed modest gains, reflecting positive sentiment in key sectors despite some notable declines in specific stocks.