Japan's share market ended the trading day in Tokyo on a positive note Wednesday, led by advances in the Real Estate, Banking and Textile sectors. The benchmark Nikkei 225 climbed 0.83% to close at a fresh record high.
Among individual stocks, Lasertec Corp (TYO:6920) was the session's top performer on the Nikkei 225, jumping 13.16% - an increase of 6,130.00 points - to finish at 52,700.00. Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (TYO:7012) added 7.75% or 235.00 points to close at 3,266.00, while Japan Steel Works Ltd (TYO:5631) rose 7.07%, gaining 548.00 points to end the day at 8,295.00.
Not all large-cap names moved higher. T&D Holdings, Inc. (TYO:8795) declined 3.18% or 156.00 points to 4,746.00 at the close. SoftBank Group Corp. (TYO:9984) slipped 3.13%, losing 222.00 points to finish at 6,880.00, and Olympus Corp. (TYO:7733) fell 3.01% or 50.00 points to end the session at 1,612.00.
Market breadth in Tokyo favored gainers: rising issues outnumbered decliners by 2,347 to 1,194, while 226 stocks finished unchanged.
Shares of Lasertec reached new all-time highs in the session, advancing 13.16% or 6,130.00 points to the 52,700.00 level at the close.
Market volatility as measured by the Nikkei Volatility index eased, falling 10.61% to 31.09, signaling a reduction in implied option volatility on the Nikkei 225.
Commodities moved lower during the session. Crude oil for July delivery dropped 1.03% or 0.78 to settle at $75.27 per barrel. Brent crude for August delivery fell 0.82% or 0.65 to $78.31 per barrel. On the metals front, the August Gold Futures contract decreased 0.08% or 3.35 to trade at $4,351.05 a troy ounce.
Currency markets showed modest moves against the yen. USD/JPY closed down 0.11% at 160.25, and EUR/JPY slipped 0.09% to 186.02. The US Dollar Index Futures was slightly higher, up 0.05% at 99.32.
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Market snapshot
- Nikkei 225: +0.83% - new all-time high
- Top gainers: Lasertec (TYO:6920), Kawasaki Heavy Industries (TYO:7012), Japan Steel Works (TYO:5631)
- Top decliners: T&D Holdings (TYO:8795), SoftBank Group (TYO:9984), Olympus (TYO:7733)
- Nikkei Volatility: -10.61% to 31.09
- Commodities: Brent and WTI crude lower; August gold futures down
- FX: USD/JPY 160.25; EUR/JPY 186.02; US Dollar Index Futures 99.32