Tokyo equities finished the session higher on Thursday, buoyed by advances in Real Estate, Banking and Textile sectors that supported a broad-based rally. At the close, the Nikkei 225 index had gained 1.72%.
The strongest performers on the Nikkei 225 included Inpex Corp. (TYO:1605), which rose 7.46% or 289.00 points to finish at 4,161.00. The company reached an all-time high at that closing level. Nippon Electric Glass Co., Ltd. (TYO:5214) added 7.05% or 444.00 points to end the day at 6,740.00, while Resona Holdings, Inc. (TYO:8308) advanced 6.52% or 109.50 points to close at 1,788.50.
On the downside, Nitori Holdings Co Ltd (TYO:9843) led decliners among major names, slipping 3.59% or 105.00 points to close at 2,819.00. Kyowa Kirin Co Ltd (TYO:4151) declined 3.00% or 67.00 points to 2,164.00, and Nexon Co Ltd (TYO:3659) was down 2.90% or 89.00 points to finish at 2,983.00.
Market breadth was strongly positive. Rising issues outnumbered falling issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by 3,438 to 300, while 85 stocks finished unchanged.
Volatility measures climbed sharply during the session. The Nikkei Volatility index, which reflects implied volatility of options on the Nikkei 225, jumped 76.95% to 53.05, marking a new six-month high.
Commodity markets showed mixed gains alongside the equity rally. Crude oil for April delivery rose 2.57% or 1.92 to $76.58 a barrel. Brent oil for May delivery was up 0.79% or 0.65 to $83.16 a barrel. April Gold Futures advanced 0.83% or 42.56 to trade at 5,177.26 a troy ounce.
In currency markets, USD/JPY moved down 0.03% to 157.02, while EUR/JPY fell 0.23% to 182.28. The US Dollar Index Futures was higher by 0.25% at 98.97.
Summary details above reflect closing prices and percentage changes recorded at the Tokyo market close on Thursday. The move was concentrated in select sectors, and volatility measures suggest increased option-implied uncertainty even as major indexes advanced.