Key Points:
- Japanese stocks closed higher, led by gains in the Paper & Pulp, Shipbuilding, and Railway & Bus sectors; the Nikkei 225 index advanced by 0.12%.
- IHI Corp. (TYO:7013), Japan Steel Works Ltd (TYO:5631), and Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. (TYO:6504) were among the session’s top performers.
- Tokyu Corp. (TYO:9005), Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (TYO:7201), and Odakyu Electric Railway Co., Ltd. (TYO:9007) experienced significant declines during the session.
- Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones, with 1825 stocks advancing, 1817 declining, and 246 unchanged; the Nikkei Volatility index decreased by 1.75%.
Japan’s stock market experienced marginal declines on Tuesday’s close, with notable increases in the Paper & Pulp, Shipbuilding, and Railway & Bus sectors driving the upward momentum. At the close of trading in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index declined by 0.040%, reflecting the positive sentiment among investors.
Among the top performers on the Nikkei 225 was IHI Corp. (TYO:7013), which surged by 8.31% or 315.00 points to reach 3,989.00 by the end of the session. Japan Steel Works Ltd (TYO:5631) also saw a notable increase of 4.73%, adding 152.00 points to close at 3,363, while Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. (TYO:6504) rose by 3.86% or 381.00 points to 10,240.00 in late trade.
Conversely, Tokyu Corp. (TYO:9005) experienced a decline of 8.61%, shedding 179.00 points to trade at 1,900.00 at the session’s close. Other notable decliners included Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (TYO:7201) and Odakyu Electric Railway Co., Ltd. (TYO:9007), which fell by 3.94% and 2.45%, respectively.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange witnessed a slightly higher number of rising stocks than declining ones, with 1825 stocks advancing, 1817 declining, and 246 ending unchanged. Japan Steel Works Ltd (TYO:5631) reached 52-week highs during the session, rising by 4.98%, while Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. (TYO:6504) soared to all-time highs, gaining 4.22%. The Nikkei Volatility index, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, decreased by 1.75% to 18.50, marking a new 1-month low.
In commodities trading, crude oil prices experienced marginal fluctuations, with May delivery down by 0.06% to $81.90 a barrel. Brent oil for June delivery also fell slightly by 0.03% to $86.05 a barrel. Meanwhile, the April Gold Futures contract declined by 0.18% to trade at $2,172.55 a troy ounce.
The currency markets saw the USD/JPY pair decreasing by 0.06% to 151.32, while the EUR/JPY pair rose by 0.06% to 164.19. The US Dollar Index Futures declined by 0.10% to 103.82, reflecting a slight weakness in the US dollar against a basket of major currencies.