Japan's equity market closed higher on Thursday, driven by broad-based sector gains and notable individual stock performances. At the end of trading in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index finished up 0.71%.
Advances outpaced declines across the Tokyo Stock Exchange, with 2,246 stocks rising versus 1,340 that fell and 240 issues ending unchanged. The session's momentum was supported in part by moves in the Real Estate, Banking and Textile sectors, which contributed to the overall uptick.
Top and bottom performers
- Yokohama Rubber Co Ltd (TYO:5101) led the winners on the Nikkei 225, soaring 13.18% - a gain of 892.00 points - to close at 7,660.00. The stock reached an all-time high in the session.
- Japan Steel Works Ltd (TYO:5631) added 9.20% or 834.00 points to finish the day at 9,904.00.
- Omron Cor (TYO:6645) rose 6.86% or 329.00 points to close at 5,127.00, a level described as a 52-week high for the company.
On the downside:
- Advantest Corp. (TYO:6857) was the largest decliner among the referenced names, slipping 3.58% or 965.00 points to end at 25,995.00.
- Nitori Holdings Co Ltd (TYO:9843) fell 3.18% or 109.00 points to 3,317.00.
- Fujifilm Holdings Corp. (TYO:4901) declined 3.02% or 95.00 points to close at 3,050.00.
Volatility and commodities
The Nikkei Volatility index, which tracks the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, moved lower by 6.47% to 27.89, registering a new one-month low.
In commodities markets, crude oil for April delivery rose 0.34% or 0.22 to trade at $65.27 a barrel. Brent oil for April delivery gained 0.26% or 0.18 to reach $70.53 a barrel. The April Gold Futures contract increased 0.56% or 28.11 to trade at $5,037.61 a troy ounce.
Foreign exchange and dollar index
Currency markets recorded modest moves against the yen. USD/JPY was up 0.20% at 155.11 while EUR/JPY rose 0.24% to 182.97. The US Dollar Index Futures edged down 0.01% to 97.61.
These market moves paint a picture of a session in which breadth favored advancing issues and where select large individual gains helped lift the headline index. Volatility eased while key commodities and FX pairs saw relatively small directional changes.