Japan stocks lower at close of trade; Nikkei 225 down 1.68%

Japan stocks lower at close of trade; Nikkei 225 down 1.68% © Reuters. Japan stocks lower at close of trade; Nikkei 225 down 1.68%

Investing.com – Japan stocks were lower after the close on Wednesday, as losses in the Electrical/Machinery, Manufacturing and Railway & Bus sectors led shares lower.

At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 lost 1.68%.

The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Pacific Metals Co., Ltd. (T:5541), which rose 12.88% or 420.00 points to trade at 3,680.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Inpex Corp. (T:1605) added 7.69% or 94.00 points to end at 1,316.00 and DOWA Holdings Co., Ltd. (T:5714) was up 6.48% or 350.00 points to 5,750.00 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Taiheiyo Cement Corp. (T:5233), which fell 7.49% or 166.00 points to trade at 2,049.00 at the close. Chiba Bank Ltd (T:8331) declined 6.78% or 48.00 points to end at 660.00 and Bridgestone Corp. (T:5108) was down 6.75% or 317.00 points to 4,379.00.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by 2828 to 761 and 183 ended unchanged.

Shares in Pacific Metals Co., Ltd. (T:5541) rose to 3-years highs; gaining 12.88% or 420.00 to 3,680.00. Shares in Taiheiyo Cement Corp. (T:5233) fell to 52-week lows; losing 7.49% or 166.00 to 2,049.00. Shares in Inpex Corp. (T:1605) rose to 3-years highs; gaining 7.69% or 94.00 to 1,316.00. Shares in DOWA Holdings Co., Ltd. (T:5714) rose to 5-year highs; rising 6.48% or 350.00 to 5,750.00.

The Nikkei Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, was up 3.80% to 26.53.

Crude oil for April delivery was up 6.15% or 6.36 to $109.77 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in May rose 6.16% or 6.47 to hit $111.44 a barrel, while the April Gold Futures contract rose 0.01% or 0.10 to trade at $1,943.90 a troy ounce.

USD/JPY was up 0.21% to 115.14, while EUR/JPY rose 0.06% to 127.90.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.14% at 97.54.

Source: Investing.com