Tokyo equities closed notably higher on Thursday, with gains concentrated in Real Estate, Banking and Textile names that helped lift the benchmark. At the close in Tokyo the Nikkei 225 added 2.48% and registered a new all-time high.
Among individual contributors, TDK Corp (TYO:6762) was the session's top performer on the Nikkei 225, climbing 13.06% or 293.50 points to finish at 2,540.00. Trend Micro Inc. (TYO:4704) advanced 9.87% or 539.00 points to close at 5,998.00, and Daikin Industries, Ltd. (TYO:6367) rose 9.09% or 1,840.00 points to end trading at 22,090.00.
Not all large-cap names moved higher. Komatsu Ltd. (TYO:6301) led decliners on the index, slipping 5.43% or 391.00 points to a close of 6,812.00. Kubota Corp. (TYO:6326) fell 5.22% or 143.50 points to 2,607.50, and BayCurrent Consulting Inc (TYO:6532) dropped 5.14% or 287.00 points to 5,300.00.
Market breadth favored advances. On the Tokyo Stock Exchange, rising issues outnumbered decliners by 2,123 to 1,390, while 268 stocks finished unchanged.
Daikin Industries also registered a 52-week high during the session, rising 9.09% or 1,840.00 to 22,090.00.
Across measures of market uncertainty, the Nikkei Volatility index, which gauges implied volatility for Nikkei 225 options, moved lower by 6.34% to 27.46.
Commodities showed modest price changes. Crude oil for May delivery rose 0.33% or 0.30 to $91.59 a barrel. Brent oil for June delivery increased 0.21% or 0.20 to $95.13 a barrel. The June Gold Futures contract gained 0.52% or 24.90 to trade at $4,848.50 a troy ounce.
In currency markets, USD/JPY declined 0.14% to 158.79, while EUR/JPY fell 0.12% to 187.43. The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.05% at 97.80.
This session combined strong sector leadership with mixed outcomes among heavyweights, and modest moves in commodities and FX alongside a drop in implied volatility.