Both the Nikkei 225 and the Topix index saw gains in Tokyo on Monday. The Nikkei added 0.7 percent to 15,456.81, while the Topix was up 0.8 percent to 1,572.01. Both domestic and export-focused sectors saw gains.

Not every sector was up, however. With chances of consolidation in the paper sector decreasing, Oji Paper and Hokuetsu Paper Mills were down on the day. Oji dropped 0.2 percent to ¥665, while Hokuetsu was 1.5 percent lower to ¥790.

The pharmaceuticals sector also saw losses. Astellas dropped 1.3 percent to ¥4,560. Chugai and Daiichi Sankyo fell by 1.9 percent each, with Chugai closing at ¥2,365 and Daiichi Sankyo ending the session at ¥3,150. Takeda was 2.4 percent lower to ¥7,400 on the news that a new cancer drug that it is developing has not shown the usefulness that had been hoped for.

The properties sector showed gains in anticipation of land prices having gone up when the National Tax Agency reports new data. Mitsubishi Estate added 1.9 percent to ¥2,375, while Mitsui Fudosan, Japan’s biggest mortgage lender, gained 2.1 percent to ¥2,435 and NTT Urban Development was 4.1 percent higher to ¥864,000.

Technology-related companies also saw advances on the day. Hitachi and Toshiba each gained 1.4 percent to ¥734 and ¥741 respectively. Elpida Memory added 2.2 percent to ¥4,590, while computer maker Fujitsu was up by 3.6 percent to ¥889.

Lower than expected profits reports from consumer finance companies sent Tokyo equities markets lower on Wednesday. The Nikkei 225 was 0.8 percent lower to 14,884.07, while the Topix index was down by 0.9 percent to 1,520.44

Consumer finance was not the only sector with losses, however. The electronics sector was down, with NEC falling 0.2 percent to ¥578 and Matsushita Electric Industrial down 0.4 percent to ¥578 even though the two announced they were embarking on a joint venture to develop mobile phone software in an effort to cut costs. Sony dropped 0.6 percent to ¥4,910, while Sharp fell 1.4 percent to ¥1,865 even though it reported operating profits that were up 14 percent.

The high cost of raw materials sent tire maker Bridgestone down by 2.6 percent to ¥2,030.

In the consumer finance sector, Acom dropped 2.8 percent to ¥5,180. Takefuji was down 4.2 percent to ¥5,460, Promise was down 5.3 percent to ¥5,150, and Aiful was 7.6 percent lower to ¥4,230. Sanyo Shinpan was by far the biggest loser in the sector, with a decline of 14.6 percent to ¥4,510 after it said its quarterly earnings were down by 47 percent.

The paper and pulp sector was mixed, with Oji Paper up 1.4 percent to ¥672 but Hokuetsu Paper Mills 2.7 percent lower to ¥768. Hokuetsu is in the process of trying to repel a takeover attempt from Oji.

Equities markets in Tokyo were slightly lower on Monday on declines in the securities and steel sectors. Semiconductors were down as well, while electronics were mixed and paper and pulp saw increases during the day. The Nikkei 225 fell 0.2 percent to 14,794.5, while the Topix index was down 0.1 percent to 1,514.22.

The steel sector was especially hard hit. Japan Steel Works fell just 0.2 percent to ¥656, while Kobe Steel dropped 3 percent to ¥326 and JFE was down by 4.6 percent to ¥4,380. Tokyo Steel, hurt by a quarterly report that showed earnings down 42.6 percent in the quarter, declined by 17.1 percent to ¥1,945.

The semiconductor sector was hurt by a profit warning from computer maker Dell. Advantest fell 1.4 percent to ¥10,930, while Tokyo Electron dropped 3.8 percent to ¥7,120.

Among electronics companies, Sony was down 0.6 percent to ¥4,810 and NEC fell by 2.1 percent to ¥566. On the other hand, Matsushita Electric Industrial gained 2.7 percent to ¥2,245, while Sharp was up 4.4 percent to ¥1,836.

The securities sector saw losses after Goldman Sachs issued a reduced forecast for the sector as a whole in the wake of first-quarter earnings reports from the four largest brokerages in Japan. Nomura fell 0.3 percent to ¥2,015, while Mitsubishi UFJ Securities was down 1.5 percent to ¥1,273 and Daiwa Securities was 2.7 percent lower to ¥1,226.

Prospects for consolidation sent the paper and pulp sector higher after Oji Paper made an unsolicited offer for Hokuetsu Paper Mills. Hokuetsu, in an effort to fend off the bid, offered to sell 50 million new shares to Mitsubishi Paper Mills. The news sent Oji Paper 2.3 percent higher to ¥656, while Mitsubishi Paper Mills was up 9.8 percent to ¥224 and Hokuetsu added 15.8 percent to ¥735.

The Tokyo equities markets saw big gains on Thursday, mostly after comments out of the United States that US inflation would likely not continue to rise. The Nikkei 225 added 3.1 percent to 14,946.84, while the Topix index was up 3.6 percent to 1,528.59. Meanwhile, the Mother’s index of small and mid-caps gained 7.1 percent to 1,225.43. Gains were seen in both domestic and export-focused sectors.

Securities, banks, and non-bank consumer finance sectors all saw substantial gains. The consumer finance sector added 6.1 percent as a whole, with Aiful up 5.3 percent to ¥5,000, while Promise was 5.7 percent higher to ¥5,720 and Sanyo Shinpan gained 6 percent to ¥5,470.

In the securities sector, Nomura added 5.1 percent to ¥2,065, Mizuho Trust advanced by 6.1 percent to ¥278, Nikko Cordial gained 6.9 percent to ¥1,338, and Daiwa Securities was up 7.8 percent to ¥1,333.

Among banks, Mizuho gained 3.6 percent to ¥961,000, while Sumitomo Mitsui added 4.2 percent to ¥1,250,000, Resona advanced by 5.5 percent to ¥362,000, and Bank of Yokohama was up 6.4 percent to ¥925.

Japan Airlines turned around its series of losses to add 6.8 percent to ¥235. The advance came after it priced new shares at ¥211, a move which seemed to spur investors to put a bit more confidence in JAL’s new share offering.

Electronics and carmakers also saw gains on the session. Canon reversed early week losses to advance by 3 percent to ¥5,400, while Sony was up 3.4 percent to ¥4,830. Matsushita Electric Industrial added 4.8 percent to ¥2,200.

In the automobile manufacturing sector, Toyota was up 3.2 percent to ¥5,800 and Honda added 4.6 percent to ¥3,640.

In Tokyo on Wednesday the Nikkei 225 added 0.4 percent to 14,500.26, while the Topix index closed flat at 1,475.42. While export-focused sectors seemed to find gains, domestic stocks were more likely to be losers for the day.

The steel sector was higher. While JFE ended the day where it started, at ¥4,480, Japan Steel Works added 1.3 percent to ¥640 and Nippon Steel gained 3.5 percent to ¥444 on the news that it will maintain its current alliance with Arcelor.

Consumer electronics stocks were mixed. Canon dropped 1 percent to ¥5,240 on the news that Dell will soon enter the Japanese color printer market with products at half the current price. On the other hand, Matsushita Electric Industrial was up 0.7 percent to ¥2,100 and Sony gained 1.1 percent to ¥4,670.

The automobile manufacturing sector was also mixed on the session. While Honda was 0.3 percent higher to ¥3,480 and Toyota added 0.9 percent to ¥870, Nissan dropped 0.2 percent to ¥1,162.

In the machinery sector, Komatsu gained 1.7 percent to ¥2,030. Industrial robots manufacturer Fanuc, meanwhile, added 3.1 percent to ¥9,280.

The banking sector was down 0.7 percent as a whole. Mizuho dropped 0.4 percent to ¥928,000, while Mitsubishi UFJ declined by 0.7 percent to ¥1,510,000 and Sumitomo Mitsui fell by 0.8 percent to ¥1,200,000.

Airlines did even worse, losing 3.6 percent as a sector. All Nippon Airways was down 1.9 percent to ¥412, while Japan Airlines dropped 6.8 percent to ¥220 after it altered the allotment of a new share offering.

Equities markets were down in Tokyo on Friday as investors in export-focused stocks worried that new rises in crude oil prices would dampen consumer demand in the United States. The decision by the Bank of Japan to raise interest rates for the first time in six years seemed not to have much of an effect on the markets at all, except perhaps in the banking sector.

The Nikkei 225 dropped 1.7 percent to 14,845.24, while the Topix index fell 1.9 percent to 1,521.71. It was the first time the Nikkei had gone below the 15,000 level in more than two weeks.

Sony was hurt not only by concerns about consumer demand but also by a decision in a European court that rescinded the European Union’s approval of an alliance with BMG. The ruling affected the music industry on a global scale and sent Sony’s shares 2.8 percent lower, to ¥4,790. Elsewhere in the electronics sector, Konica Minolta dropped 2.3 percent to ¥1,363, while Canon also declined by 2.3 percent, to ¥5,490. Matsushita Electric Industrial was down by 2.5 percent to ¥2,170.

The automobile manufacturing sector also saw losses. Nissan declined by 1.3 percent to ¥1,188. Honda and Toyota were each 1.7 percent lower, to ¥3,500 and ¥5,720 respectively. Mazda dropped 2.1 percent to ¥735.

Banks were down as investors lost confidence in the sector due to the increase in borrowing costs inherent in the rise in interest rates. Losses ranged from 2.2 percent, by Mizuho, which closed at ¥961,000, to the Bank of Yokohama’s 3.5 percent decline to ¥909.

In Tokyo on Thursday, the Nikkei 225 dropped 1 percent to 15,097.95 and the Topix index was down 0.8 percent to 1,551.03 as the semiconductors and consumer electronics sectors saw declines.

Advantest declined by 2.9 percent to ¥11,420, while NEC Electronics was down 3.4 percent to ¥3,450 on a downgrade from Credit Suisse. Tokyo Electron dropped 4.5 percent to ¥7,470.

Among consumer electronics companies, Sony fell 1.2 percent to ¥4,930, Canon dropped 1.9 percent to ¥5,620, and Matsushita Electric Industrial, maker of the Panasonic brand, declined by 3.1 percent to ¥2,225.

The consumer finance sector in Tokyo saw gains after recent losses. Takefuji added 4.8 percent to ¥6,120 when a Canadian investment group added to its holdings in the Japanese lender.

In Tokyo on Wednesday the equities markets were substantially lower, mostly on anticipation of an expected move later in the week by the Bank of Japan to raise interest rates above zero for the first time in six years. The Nikkei 225 dropped 1.5 percent to 15,249.32. Meanwhile, the Topix index fell 1.4 percent to 1,563.69.

Consumer finance companies saw huge losses as concerns continued about the lowered ceiling on allowable interest rates for their loans. Aiful dropped 7.2 percent to ¥4,870, while Takefuji declined by 7.6 percent to ¥5,840.

The real estate sector also saw significant declines, with the sector as a whole down by 2.7 percent. Mitsui Fudosan dropped 1.9 percent to ¥2,390, while Sumitomo Realty and Development fell 2.3 percent to ¥2,735 and Mitsubishi Estate declined by 3 percent to ¥2,295.

Technology stocks helped send the Tokyo equities markets lower on Tuesday. The Nikkei 225 and the Topix index each lost 0.5 percent on the session, to 15,473.82 and 1,585.85 respectively.

The electronics sector was down on a strong yen and on declines in tech stocks in New York overnight. Sony dropped 0.2 percent to ¥5,040. Advantest declined by 0.9 percent to ¥12,020, while Matsushita was down to ¥2,350, 1.7 percent lower on the session.

Games developer Namco Bandai dropped 1.3 percent to ¥1,695 on the news that Zapf Creation has recommended that its shareholders reject Namco’s bid for the German dollmaker. Zapf is said to be looking for higher bids.

After Nikko Citigroup has withdrawn from its position as one of 15 underwriters for Japan Airlines’ new share issue, worth $1.9 billion, JAL’s shares declined by 2.6 percent to ¥271. The new issue will dilute existing shares by 30 to 40 percent and could be sold below current market prices in order to create adequate demand, making the issue controversial.

Equities markets in Tokyo were up substantially on Monday, with the Nikkei 225 up 1.6 percent to 15,552.81 and the Topix index 1.3 percent higher to 1,594.07.

In the technology sector, chip-making and testing equipment companies saw gains. Advantest was up 2.7 percent to ¥12,130, while Tokyo Electron gained 3.3 percent to ¥8,250.

Electronics companies were also up on the session, with Sony adding 1.2 percent to ¥5,050, Matsushita Electric Industrial up 1.5 percent to ¥2,390, and Canon advancing by 2.3 percent to ¥5,790.

Automobile manufacturers were mixed on currency concerns. Mazda and Toyota gained 1 percent to ¥777 and 1.2 percent to ¥6,050 respectively, while Nissan declined by 0.1 percent to ¥1,238.

The machinery sector was up 1.2 percent as a whole, with Komatsu adding 1.3 percent to ¥2,295. Industrial robots maker Fanuc, meanwhile, gained 4.7 percent to ¥10,120.

Banks benefited from the news that lending was up this month at a rate it hasn’t seen in five years. Mizuho advanced by 3.2 percent to ¥998,000 and Mitsubishi UFJ added 5.2 percent to ¥1,630,000. Also helping banks was the expectation that the Bank of Japan will bring an end to zero interest rates when it meets later this week.

Consumer finance companies saw losses during the session, again on interest rate issues, after the Liberal Democratic Party proposed new rules last week which would drop the maximum allowable interest rate on their loans from 29.2 percent to between 15 and 20 percent. Acom fell 1.8 percent to ¥5,870, while Promise dropped 2.5 percent to ¥5,500, Takefuji declined by 4 percent to ¥5,820, and Aiful was down 7.8 percent to ¥4,840.