The Tokyo equities markets were up on Monday on gains in the banking and steel sectors. The Nikkei 225 and the Topix index were each up by 0.6 percent to 16,192.95 and 1,656.82 respectively.

Despite the gains, the real estate sector was down for the day even though indications are that foreign investment is returning to the sector after pulling back for a couple of weeks. The sector as a whole was down 1.3 percent, with Tokyu Land down 4 percent to ¥1,039 and no movement at all for Mitsui Fudosan, which was trading at ¥2,435.

The banking sector was up 1 percent on the day, with Mitsubishi UFJ gaining 2.4 percent to ¥1,700,000.

Steel was up sharply, with Nippon Steel gaining 5.2 percent to ¥465. Also up were Sumitomo Metal Industries, which gained 3.6 percent to ¥520, and JFE, which rose 3.8 percent to ¥4,420.

Also gaining substantially was Nippon Sheet Glass, up 5.2 percent to ¥509 as investors expected that merger attempt with British glassmaker Pilkington would be successful.

A new trading system for the Osaka Securities Exchange, Japan’s second biggest exchange, sent its shares up 6.9 percent to ¥1,060,000. The successful launch of the new system is expected to solve recent computer and data feed problems for the exchange, which handles around three percent of Japan’s equities trade.

Japanese equities markets were up slightly on Friday as domestic stocks tended to rise while export-focused companies were generally down on the day as the yen gained value in relation to the US dollar.

The Nikkei closed up 0.1 percent to 16,101.91, while the Topix index gained 0.4 percent to 1,647.74.

Among the sectors to see losses on the day were the carmakers and the electrical machinery manufacturers. Toshiba dropped 1.5 percent to ¥661, while rival Hitachi fell 1.1 percent to ¥798. Honda lost 2 percent to ¥6,890, but Toyota declined a smaller 0.3 percent to ¥6,330.

Also seeing losses on the day was toymaker Namco Bandai, which fell 12.7 percent to ¥1,440 on the announcement that it had cut its net profit forecast for the 2005/06 fiscal year in half.

More news indicating a continuing recovery in the Japanese economy sent domestic shares higher, with banking up 1.7 percent as a sector and the securities sector growing by 2.5 percent.

Mitsubishi UFJ gained 1.8 percent to ¥1,660,000 as investors see the possibility of rising interest rates as good for bank profits.

In the securities sector, Nikko Cordial was up 4.8 percent to ¥1,847, while Daiwa Securities gained 3 percent to ¥1,398.

The Tokyo equities markets were down on Wednesday as chip-related shares followed their American counterparts lower.

The Nikkei 225, which is heavily weighted for technology stocks, dropped 0.7 percent on the day to 15,762.54, while the Topix index dropped only 0.2 percent, helped out somewhat by rising steel shares.

Nippon Steel, Japan’s largest steel maker, gained 1.2 percent to ¥432, while JFE was up 1.7 percent to ¥4,130, helped out by recent mergers and acquisitions activity internationally.

Also seeing gains on the day was construction machinery manufacturer Komatsu, which gained 4.9 percent to ¥1,976 on what Daiwa Securities called strong demand, especially in China.

On the losing side, chip equipment maker Tokyo Electron dropped 2.7 percent to ¥7,870, while Advantest declined by 4.5 percent to ¥12,740.

Shares in the automobile manufacturing sector also followed Wall Street lower, with Toyota losing 1.7 percent to ¥6,280.

The banking sector declined on the day on speculation that Japanese interest rates will likely stay at zero for some time to come, even after the Bank of Japan begins to end its easy money policy. Mitsubishi UFJ lost 0.6 percent to ¥1,590,000, while Resona dropped 3.5 percent to ¥382,000.

Reversing recent declines, domestic sectors in Japan posted huge gains on Tuesday, sending the Nikkei 225 and Topix indicies up to their sharpest rises in three weeks.

The Nikkei was up a full 3 percent to 15,894.94, while the Topix index gained 2.5 percent to 1,612.56.

The real estate sector had the largest gains, up 8.1 percent overall, while retailers gained 4.5 percent and construction stocks grew by 4.9 percent as a sector. Banking advanced by 2.5 percent, while securities companies gained 6.3 percent. The gains came on the news that foreigners buying stocks outnumbered those selling for the first time in two weeks.

In the retail sector Fast Retailing, Japan’s largest casual clothes manufacturer, gained 8.4 percent to ¥10,560 on the announcement that it will open a store in New York City.

Kajima, Japan’s biggest general construction contractor, advanced by 10.2 percent to ¥671.

In the banking sector, Mitsubishi UFJ gained 1.9 percent to ¥1,600,000, while Mizuho rose 3.3 percent to ¥899,000. Meanwhile, Daiwa securities was up 6.4 percent to ¥1,309.

Japan’s biggest real estate companies saw gains on the day in the range of six to nearly twelve percent. Mitsui Fudosan gained 7.1 percent to ¥2,345, while Tokyu Land grew by the same percentage to ¥1,023. Mitsubishi Estate gained 6.2 percent to ¥2,385. The biggest gains in the sector came from Sumitomo Realty & Development, which gained 10.2 percent to ¥2,645 and from NTT Urban Development, which was up 11.9 percent to ¥938,000.

The Tokyo markets fell substantially on Monday as declines continued in domestic sectors, with foreign selling a huge factor in the drops. The Nikkei 225 was down 1.8 percent to 15,437.93, while the Topix index dropped 2.1 percent to 1,572.11.

The banking sector as a whole was down 3 percent after Mitsubishi UFJ cut its group net profit forecasts for the 2008/2009 fiscal year by ¥100 billion. The cut was blamed on merger costs relating to computer systems and on bad loan charges. Mitsubishi’s shares fell 4.3 percent to ¥1,570,000. Mizuho dropped 3.4 percent to ¥870,000.

The securities sector dropped 4.4 percent, with Nomura losing 3.3 percent to ¥2,035 and Nikko Cordial falling 4.4 percent to ¥1,595.

The real estate sector was particularly affected by the pullout of foreign investors. Mitsubishi Estate declined by 3.4 percent to ¥2,245, while Mitsui Fudosan, Japan’s largest property firm, dropped 2.2 percent to ¥2,190.

Elsewhere, Sony declined by 3.6 percent to ¥5,300 on a downgrade from Merrill Lynch from “neutral” to “sell”.

Despite the declines, most domestic and foreign analysts expect share prices in Japan will begin an upward climb as more strong economic news is reported.

In Tokyo on Friday, the equities markets were down on declines in domestic stocks, including the real estate sector, which fell as foreign investors continued to pull out of the Japanese market.

The Nikkei 225 was down 2.1 percent on the day to 15,713.45, a three-week low, and the Topix index dropped 1.6 percent to 1,605.33.

Real estate was down 5.4 percent as a sector on Friday on the heels of a 2.6 percent drop on Thursday. Mitsui Fudosan and Mitsubishi Estate each lost 5.1 percent on the day, to ¥2,240 and ¥2.325 respectively. Tokyu Land was down 7.2 percent to ¥1,008.

Warehouse and wharf stocks were also down on the day, with Mitsubishi Logistics declining by 2.4 percent to ¥1,765.

Most other domestic stocks were also down; banking lost 1.7 percent.

Also down was Sony, which dropped 2.8 percent to ¥5,500 on a downgrade from “neutral” to “sell” from Merrill Lynch, which said the electronics and entertainment company was overvalued.

On the other hand, transport equipment sector gained 0.6 percent. Carmakers, and at least some high-tech companies saw gains on the day.

Sharp was up 1 percent to ¥2,035 as Merrill Lynch upgraded the high-tech manufacturer from “neutral” to “buy” due to what it called Sharp’s greater competitiveness in LCD televisions.

In the automobile sector, Toyota was up 1.6 percent to ¥6,420, while Honda advanced by 0.9 percent to ¥6,890.

In Tokyo on Wednesday, the Nikkei 225 and Topix indexes both were down, with the Nikkei closing down by 1.6 percent to 15,932.83. The Topix fell 0.7 percent to 1,624.28.

While real estate was down, the banking sector was up while securities brokers had a mixed day.

The three largest securities houses all rose on the day. Nomura, Japan’s largest securities firm, gained 1.4 percent to ¥2,150, while Daiwa Securities gained 1.1 percent to ¥1,321 and Nikkko cordial was up 2.4 percent to ¥1,734. However, two online retail securities brokers saw their shares decline. Kabu.com fell 5 percent to ¥286,000 and Monex Beans declined by 1.2 percent to ¥160,000. This was seen as a sign that if interest rates rise, retail investors who now buy with cheap borrowed money will jump out of the market.

Movement in the banking and real estate sectors was also seen as an indication of things to come if the Bank of Japan’s zero interest rate policy ends and interest rates rise. I rates do go up, the banking sector is expected to see profits rise, as well, while real estate could see declines because it will cost more to borrow money to make purchases.

At any rate, the banking sector rose slightly on the day, with Mitsubishi UFJ gaining 0.6 percent to ¥1,620,000, while the real estate sector closed down 0.6 percent despite advancing by 2.5 percent during the day. Mitsubishi Estate dropped 1.7 percent on the day to ¥2.545.

The Nikkei and Topix indexes both saw declines in Tokyo on Monday as domestic stocks and stocks related to the commodities markets fell on the day.

The Nikkei 225 closed below 16,000 for the first time in over two weeks as it dropped 2.3 percent to 15,877.66. The Topix index fell 2.5 percent to 1,618.01.

Mitsui Mining’s announcement that it had reduced its zinc prices led to a 7 percent drop for the company’s shares, to ¥759. Meanwhile, falling crude oil prices led to declines in upstream oil companies. Inpex lost 7.5 percent to ¥1,110,000, while Teikoku Oil fell 7.3 percent to ¥1,604. However, oil-dependent transport companies did not benefit from the drop in oil prices and both the air and sea transport sectors declined on the day. Shipper Mitsui OSK Lines fell 3.3 percent to ¥881.

On the domestic side, a wide variety of stocks declined on worries that Japan’s stock market rally would not last. The retail sector dropped 2.9 percent as a whole, while real estate fell 3.9 percent and the securities sector declined by 4.7 percent.

In the retail sector, department stores saw the brunt of the declines with Takashimaya down 4.2 percent to ¥1,649 and Matsuzakaya falling 2.5 percent to ¥989. The downgrade of retailer Daiei by Merrill Lynch from “neutral” to “sell” sent shares in that company down 12.4 percent to ¥3,540.

Real estate company Tokyu Land dropped 4 percent to ¥1,112, while in the securities sector Daiwa Securities fell 6.6 percent to end at ¥1,263.

The Tokyo equities markets were sent up on Thursday, primarily by gains in the technology sector and despite losses in sea transport companies.

The Nikkei 225 was up 1 percent to 16,439.67. Meanwhile, the Topix index gained 0.7 percent to 1,682.26.

In the sea transport sector, shipper Nippon Yusen dropped 8.4 percent to ¥790 when it reported that its quarterly net profit had dropped by 21 percent and when it cut its full-year guidance because of dropping shipping rates and climbing fuel prices. Elsewhere in the sector, Mitsui OSK fell 6.1 percent to ¥972 when it, too, cut it’s full-year forecast, while Kawasaki Kisen declined by 5.2 percent to ¥711.

The technology sector, on the other hand, was helped out by a rally in New York based on a strong earnings report from Cisco Systems. Advantest, which manufactures chip-testing equipment, was up 3.8 percent to ¥14,780. Tokyo Electron gained 2.2 percent to ¥8,680. Meanwhile, electrical component maker Kyocera jumped 6.1 percent to ¥10,740.

On the strength of a report that over-the-counter drug maker Taisho Pharmaceutical is set to purchase Astellas Pharma’s OTC unit, Taisho saw its shares rise 4.4 percent to ¥2,375 and Astellas was up 0.5 percent to ¥4,500.

In other sectors, Sony was up 2.3 percent to ¥5,730 and Canon gained 1 percent to ¥7,130. Carmaker Nissan was up 1 percent to ¥1,315 on reports that it will develop a new automobile for sale in developing markets such as India and China.

Japanese equities markets were down slightly on Friday under the influence of quarterly earnings reports and other news form the corporate world.

The Nikkei fell 0.3 percent to 16,659.64. The Topix was down 0.2 percent to 1,707.96.

Several sectors and companies bucked the general trend, however. The paper and pulp sector was up 2.3 percent as a whole amid indications that paper manufacturers have begun passing rising materials costs on to consumers. Hokuetsu Paper was up 4.4 percent to ¥641.

On the domestic side, real estate was up 1.4 percent on Japan’s continuing economic recovery and on higher rental fees for premium office space. Tokyu Land gained 1.9 percent to ¥1,153.

Port transport company Utoc Express gained 7.1 percent to ¥530 when shipper Mitsui OSK said it will increase its holdings in Utoc from 31.2 percent to 50 percent. Mitsui OSK, however, dropped 1 percent to ¥1,042 on the news.

Consumer electronics giant Matsushita Electric Industrial gained 2 percent to ¥2,565 as it reported its largest quarterly profit in 14 years. Elsewhere in the electronics sector, however, Hitachi lost 1.5 percent to ¥809 when it said its quarterly profits had dropped by 79.4 percent.