Key Points:
- Japanese stocks experienced a decline, led by losses in the Paper & Pulp and Shipbuilding sectors; the Nikkei 225 Index declined by 0.33%.
- Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc. (TYO:9501), Inpex Corp. (TYO:1605), and Tokyu Fudosan (TYO:3289) were among the top performers.
- Tokyo Electron Ltd. (TYO:8035), Lasertec Corp (TYO:6920), and SUMCO Corp. (TYO:3436) were among the worst performers.
- At the Tokyo Stock Exchange, 1942 stocks rose, 1712 declined, and 225 remained unchanged. The Nikkei Volatility decreased by 0.74% to 21.36.
On Friday, Japanese stocks experienced a downturn, with losses primarily driven by the Paper & Pulp, Shipbuilding, and Banking sectors. At the close of trading in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 declined by 0.33%.
Among the top performers on the Nikkei 225 were Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc. (TYO:9501), which rose by 13.03% or 111.40 points to reach 966.20 at the close. Additionally, Inpex Corp. (TYO:1605) added 4.45% or 94.00 points, closing at 2,206.00, while Tokyu Fudosan (TYO:3289) saw an increase of 3.92% or 40.50 points, ending at 1,074.00 in late trading.
Conversely, the worst session performers included Tokyo Electron Ltd. (TYO:8035), which fell by 4.86% or 1,810.00 points to trade at 35,410.00 at the close. Lasertec Corp (TYO:6920) declined by 4.29% or 1,710.00 points, finishing at 38,130.00, and SUMCO Corp. (TYO:3436) was down by 4.15% or 101.00 points, settling at 2,331.50.
Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, with 1942 stocks rising, 1712 declining, and 225 remaining unchanged. The Nikkei Volatility Index, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, decreased by 0.74% to 21.36. Notably, shares in Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc. (TYO:9501) reached 5-year highs, while shares in Tokyu Fudosan (TYO:3289) reached all-time highs.
In commodities trading, crude oil for April delivery declined slightly by 0.17% to $81.12 a barrel. Brent oil for May delivery also fell by 0.18% to $85.27 a barrel. However, the April Gold Futures contract rose by 0.21% to trade at $2,172.05 a troy ounce.
Regarding currency pairs, USD/JPY decreased slightly by 0.02% to 148.29, while EUR/JPY fell by 0.06% to 161.32. The US Dollar Index Futures showed a marginal increase of 0.06% to 103.06.
