Key Points:
- Japan stocks surged higher led by Paper & Pulp, Banking, and Insurance sectors. The Nikkei 225 index rose by 0.15%, reaching a new all-time high.
- Sharp Corp (TYO:6753), Suzuki Motor Corp. (TYO:7269), and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (TYO:7201) were among the top performers on the Nikkei 225.
- Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (TYO:4519), Advantest Corp. (TYO:6857), and Komatsu Ltd. (TYO:6301) were among the session’s worst performers.
- Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The Nikkei Volatility index dropped by 3.44%, marking a new one-month low.
Japan stocks surged higher on Friday, with gains in the Paper & Pulp, Banking, and Insurance sectors driving shares upward. At the close in Tokyo, the benchmark Nikkei 225 index rose by 0.15%, reaching a new all-time high.
Leading the gains on the Nikkei 225 were companies like Sharp Corp (TYO:6753), which climbed 5.31% or 44.60 points, closing at 884.40. Suzuki Motor Corp. (TYO:7269) followed closely, adding 3.74% or 246.00 points to finish at 6,828.00, while Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (TYO:7201) saw a rise of 3.47% or 21.60 points, reaching 643.20 by the end of the trading session.
Conversely, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (TYO:4519) experienced a decline of 3.75% or 229.00 points, closing at 5,871.00, making it one of the session’s worst performers. Advantest Corp. (TYO:6857) also saw a decrease of 2.92% or 197.00 points, ending at 6,550.00. Komatsu Ltd. (TYO:6301) was down 2.15% or 99.00 points, settling at 4,507.00.
Overall, rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, with 2110 stocks advancing, 1508 declining, and 259 remaining unchanged. The Nikkei Volatility index, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, dropped by 3.44% to 18.83, marking a new 1-month low.
In commodities trading, crude oil prices saw a slight decline, with May delivery down 0.64% to $80.55 a barrel for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude, while Brent oil for May delivery also fell by 0.64% to $85.23 a barrel. The April Gold Futures contract dipped by 0.46% to $2,174.70 a troy ounce.
In currency markets, the USD/JPY pair experienced a modest decrease of 0.12% to 151.43, while the EUR/JPY pair fell by 0.37% to 164.05. The US Dollar Index, representing the value of the US dollar against a basket of major currencies, rose by 0.22% to 103.89.
