Tokyo Market News: investment market news from the Nikkei and Topix indices
Tokyo Market News: investment market news from the Nikkei and Topix indices

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    October 17, 2007

    Banks decline in Tokyo

    Filed under: Companies, Toyota, Mitsui OSK, Mitsubishi UFJ, Nomura, JFE, Tomy, Nintendo, Sumitomo Mitsui

    Tokyo’s markets were lower on the session Wednesday after banks declined on news from US bank Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) that it had lost $892 million to bad home equity and consumer loans in the third quarter and that earnings will likely be hurt in the fourth quarter as well.

    The Nikkei 225 was 1.07 percent lower to 16,955.31 while the Topix index dropped 1.54 percent to 1,600.29 and the Mothers market fell 1.05 percent to 824.34.

    Mitsubishi UFJ (TYO: 8306; NYSE: MTU) was down 4 percent to ¥1,017 and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (TYO: 8316) dropped 5.8 percent to ¥823,000.

    Brokerage Nomura Holdings (TYO: 8604; NYSE: NMR; SGX: N33) fell 5.7 percent to ¥1,955.

    Declines were also fed by losses in the steel and shipping sectors after the newly proposed rules in India there had investors worried about a slowing economy there if foreign money pulls out of the market.

    In the steel sector, JFE Holdings (TYO: 5411) was 3.8 percent lower to ¥7,670, while shipper Mitsui OSK (TYO: 9104) dropped 3.4 percent to ¥1,930.

    Some exporters were also lower on the day as the yen strengthened versus the US dollar.

    Carmaker Toyota (TYO: 7203.T; NYSE: TM; LSE: TYT) was down 2 percent to ¥6,280 and game console manufacturer Nintendo (TYO: 7974; NAS: NTDOY; FWB: NTO) fell 3.1 percent to ¥68,400.

    Toymaker and distributor Tomy (TYO: 7867), however, added 8.3 percent to ¥744 said that profits doubled in its first half on sales of Transformer toys and Nintendo consoles.





    October 3, 2007

    Tokyo brokers up on Nikko Cordial news

    Filed under: Companies, Mizuho, Matsushita Electric Industrial, Daiwa Securities, Mitsubishi UFJ, Nomura, Nikko Cordial, JFE, Toshiba, Nintendo

    Tokyo’s markets were higher as brokerages gained on the news that Citigroup (NYSE: C) has said it will buy out minority shareholders in Nikko Cordial (TYO: 8603; SGX: N06).

    Citigroup already owns 68 percent of the brokerage.

    The Nikkei 225 added 0.9 percent to 17,199.89, while the Topix index gained 1.48 percent to 1,664.01 and the Mothers market jumped 5.03 percent to 794.35.

    The announcement from Citigroup sent Nikko’s shares up by the daily limit of 13.7 percent to ¥1,662.

    Elsewhere in the sector, Nomura Holdings (TYO: 8604; NYSE: NMR; SGX: N33) was 4 percent higher to ¥3,090 while Daiwa Securities (TYO: 8601) gained 5.8 percent to ¥1,178.

    Banks were also higher.

    Mitsubishi UFJ (TYO: 8306; NYSE: MTU) was up 4 percent to ¥1,158 and Mizuho added 4.5 percent to ¥691,000.

    Elsewhere, steel maker JFE (TYO: 5411) was 3.1 percent higher to ¥8,370 on the announcement that it will raise prices on steel plate by 15 percent as well as on the news that it will partner with Toshiba (TYO: 6502; LSE: TOS) to design and manufacture small and medium-sized steam turbines for power plants.

    Toshiba gained 2.4 percent to ¥1,091 on the news.

    In the electronics sector, Nintendo (TYO: 7974; NAS: NTDOY; FWB: NTO) added 2.7 percent to ¥1,700 but Matsushita Electric Industrial (TYO: 6752) dropped 2.5 percent to ¥2,125 after production at one of its battery factories was shut down due to a fire.





    August 21, 2007

    Steel, shipping sectors higher in Tokyo

    Filed under: Companies, Sony, Nippon Steel, Matsushita Electric Industrial, Nippon Yusen, Kawasaki Kisen, Advantest, JFE

    Tokyo’s markets were higher on the session as the Nikkei 225 added 1.07 percent to 15,901.34 and the Topix index was up 1.73 percent to 1,549.88 after the Bank of Japan put another ¥800 billion into the system.

    The Mothers index gained 1.23 percent to 703.72.

    The steel sector, seen as a safer place for investors to put their money, was up on the day.

    JFE (TYO: 5411) was 3.4 percent higher to ¥7,300, while Nippon Steel (TYO: 5401) gained 4.3 percent to ¥777.

    Shippers were also higher, with Kawasaki Kisen (TYO: 9107) up 2.6 percent to ¥1,394 and Nippon Yusen (TYO: 9101) adding 3 percent to ¥1,065.

    In the electronics sector, Sony (TYO: 6758; NYSE: SNE) added 1.3 percent to ¥5,280, but Matsushita Electric Industrial (TYO: 6572; NYSE: MC) was down 1.7 percent to ¥1,918.

    In the semiconductors sector, chip-testing equipment maker Advantest (TYO: 6857; NYSE: ATE) was down 1.8 percent to ¥4,260 after it said that profits were 13 percent lower in its fiscal first quarter.





    July 31, 2007

    Steel sector declines on investigation

    Filed under: Companies, Nippon Steel, Sanyo, Kyocera, Sharp, JFE, Sumitomo Metal Industries, Nikon

    The Nikkei 225 one of the few Asian equities indices that showed a decline on Tuesday

    The Nikkei dropped 0.2 percent to 17,248.89, while the Topix index closed barely higher at 1,706.18 and the Mothers market added 1.38 percent to 864.7.

    Earnings results and other news drove gains and losses on the session in Tokyo.

    Among banks, Shinsei Bank (TYO: 8303) added 6.4 percent to ¥448 on its report that quarterly recurring profit had gone up by 22 percent in its fiscal first quarter, while net income had risen by 63 percent.

    The steel sector, on the other hand, saw declines after Japan’s Fair Trade Commission said it has begun an investigation into Nippon Steel (TYO: 5401) and JFE (TYO: 5411) concerning whether the two had engaged in price-fixing.

    JFE was 1.7 percent lower to ¥8,210, while Nippon Steel dropped 2 percent to ¥900 as ¥91 billion in shares changed hands on the session.

    Sumitomo Metal (TYO: 5405) fell 2.7 percent to ¥692.

    The electronics sector was mixed,

    Sharp (TYO: 6753) added 1.5 percent to ¥2,065 ahead of news after the close that it will build a new plant in Japan, while Sanyo Electric (TYO: 6764; NAS: SANYY) was 0.5 percent lower to ¥185 on a drop in operating profit of 72 percent in its fiscal first quarter, while Kyocera (TYO: 6971) dropped 6.3 percent to ¥11,500 on disappointing broker comments.

    Camera maker Nikon (TYO: 7731) added 5.5 percent to ¥3,820 after Nikko Citigroup raised its target share price.





    July 30, 2007

    Tokyo in slight gains after elections

    Filed under: Companies, Sony, NTT, Toyota, JFE, Softbank, KDDI, Mitsubishi Electric

    The Nikkei 225 was fractionally higher Monday, adding 5.49 points to 17,289.3, while the Topix index gained 0.4 percent to 1,705.71.

    The Mothers market of small and mid-cap stocks was 1.63 percent higher to 852.93.

    The gains came despite predicted declines after the ruling Liberal Democratic party lost its control of the upper house of Japan’s parliament, the Diet, in Sunday’s elections.

    The steel sector saw gains after JFE (TYO: 5411) said its operating profit in the quarter ending in June was up 59 percent and income was 63 percent higher.

    JFE added 5 percent to ¥8,350.

    Nippon Steel (TYO: 5401) also announced a profit increase and Nippon Metal (TYO: 5479) said its income was a ¥3.5 billion, up from ¥75 million last year at the same time.

    Quarterly reports helped some in the electronics sector as well, where Mitsubishi Electric (TYO: 6503) was 9.9 percent higher to ¥1,266 after it said that profits were up by 63 percent in the most recent quarter.

    On the other hand, Sony (TYO: 6758; NYSE: SNE) was down 1.1 percent to ¥6,350.

    In the automobile manufacturing sector Toyota Motor (TYO: 7203.T; NSYE: TM; LSE: TYT) gained 0.1 percent to ¥7,270 after early declines.

    Sectors that are domestically focused were lower after more price cuts were announced by NTT DoCoMo (TYO: 9437), which then dropped 2.4 percent to ¥166,000.

    KDDI (TYO: 9433) was also lower, falling 2.1 percent to ¥793,000.

    Softbank (TYO: 9984), which also has a mobile phone unit, was 1 percent lower to ¥2,490.





    July 19, 2007

    Consumer finance sector up on merger news

    Filed under: Companies, Nippon Steel, Mitsubishi Estate, JFE, Tokyo Electric Power, Aiful, Takefuji, Promise, Sanyo Shinpan, NTT Urban Development

    Tokyo’s equities markets were higher on Thursday, as the Nikkei 225 added 0.6 percent to 18,116.57 and the Topix index gained 0.5 percent to 1,768.

    Tokyo Electric Power (TYO: 9501) continued to decline after reports of earthquake damage to one of its nuclear power plants.

    It dropped another 5.6 percent to ¥3,400 after Nomura Securities (TYO: 8604; NYSE: NMR; SGX; N33) reduced its recommendation from “neutral” to “reduce”.

    The real estate sector also saw declines, with Mitsubishi Estate (TYO: 8802) down 0.9 percent to ¥3,180 and NTT Urban Development (TYO: 8933) falling 1.4 percent to ¥217,000.

    The consumer finance sector saw advances after it was reported that Promise (TYO: 8574) and Sanyo Shinpan Finance (TYO: 8573) are about to agree to a merger.

    Trade in both companies was halted after the reports, but Promise had added 5.9 percent to ¥3,790 and Sanyo Shinpan was 12.2 percent higher to ¥3,600 before that occurred.

    Elsewhere in the sector, Takefuji (TYO: 8564) gained 7.7 percent to ¥4,404 and Aiful (TYO: 8515) was up 11.2 percent to ¥3,480.

    The steel sector was up in anticipation of the release of JFE Holdings’ (TYO:5411) quarterly results, due at the end of the month.

    JFE added 4.4 percent to ¥8,270, while Nippon Steel (TYL: 5401) was 4.7 percent higher to ¥919.





    March 13, 2007

    Exporters hurt by yen gains

    Filed under: Companies, Sony, Mitsui Fudosan, Nippon Steel, Toyota, Nikko Cordial, JFE, Sumitomo Realty & Development, TDK

    The Tokyo equities markets were lower on Tuesday as the yen strengthened and investors chose to take profits in sectors such as real estate and steel. The Nikkei 225 dropped 0.7 percent to 17,178.84, while the Topix index was 0.9 percent lower to 1,725.43. The declines came amid wide declines in other Asian markets.

    Export-focused sectors were hurt by the yen. The automobile manufacturing sector was 0.7 percent lower as a whole, while Toyota Motor (TYO: 7203.T; NYSE: TM; LSE: TYT) lost even more, dropping 1.1 percent to ¥7,790. Meanwhile, in the electronics sector, Sony (TYO: 6758; NYSE: SNE) was 2.1 percent lower to ¥6,110. TDK (TYO: 8326; NYSE: TDK; LSE: TDK), which makes electronics parts, however, added 3.8 percent to ¥9,650 after an upgrade from “neutral” to “buy” from Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS).

    In the steel sector, Nippon Steel (TYO: 5401) was down 2.1 percent to ¥868, while JFE Holdings (TYO: 5411) fell 2.6 percent to ¥7,350 as investors took profits following recent gains generated by consolidation rumors.

    Mitsui Fudosan (TYO: 8801; NAS: MDSFF) dropped 0.9 percent to ¥3,440 in a real estate sector that dropped 1.1 percent on the session. Sumitomo Realty & Development (TYO: 8830) was 1.8 percent lower to ¥4,870.

    Nikko Cordial (TYO: 8603; SGX: N06) added 6.1 percent to ¥1,490 after word from the Tokyo Stock Exchange that it will not delist the broker after all. The delisting had been widely expected after Nikko’s recent accounting scandal.





    January 29, 2007

    Bird flu outbreak helps pharma gains

    Filed under: Companies, Nippon Steel, JFE, Softbank, Chugai Pharmaceutical, Seiyu

    In Tokyo on Monday the Nikkei 225 and the Topix index each added 0.3 percent on the session, to close at 17,470.46 and 1,733.59 respectively.

    Export-focused sectors benefited as the yen weakened versus the US dollar. The machinery sector gained 1.4 percent as a whole, with Komatsu ending 3.4 percent higher to ¥2,560.

    The steel sector gained on the news that JFE is in talks with South Korea’s Hyundai Steel. Nippon Steel added 1 percent to ¥711, while JFE was 1.6 percent higher to ¥6,800.

    Word of a bird flu outbreak in Japan translated to gains for Chugai Pharmaceutical, the manufacturer of Tamiflu, which is believed to be effective against the disease in humans. Chugai added 1.8 percent to ¥2,780 on the session.

    Internet and telecommunications company Softbank added 5.6 percent to ¥2,735 on an upgrade from Credit Suisse. The broker upped its recommendation from “under perform” to “outperform” and raised its target share price from ¥1,340 to ¥3,110.

    In the retail sector, news that Wal-Mart could be looking for acquisitions in Japan sent its Japanese division, Seiyu, 13.1 percent higher to ¥190 on merger hopes.





    January 9, 2007

    Consumer finance sector sees gains

    Filed under: Companies, Sony, Mizuho, Nippon Steel, Mitsubishi UFJ, Nikko Cordial, JFE, Credit Saison, Aiful, Takefuji, Pioneer

    The Tokyo equities markets were higher on Tuesday, with the Nikkei 225 adding 0.9 percent to 17,237.77 and the Topix index gaining 1 percent to 1,692.12. On the other hand, the Mothers market of small and mid-caps saw a loss, dropping 1.3 percent to 1,073.36.

    The steel sector added 3 percent as a whole on bids speculation. Nippon Steel added 3.3 percent to ¥649, while JFE Holdings was 4.9 percent higher to ¥5,980.

    The electronics sector was up on positive broker comment. Pioneer was up 4 percent to ¥1,716 after Goldman Sachs issued an upgrade from “sell” to “neutral” for the audio equipment manufacturer. Goldman Sachs also upgraded Sony, from “neutral” to “buy”, based on strong Christmas sales for the consumer electronics firm. Sony added 6.5 percent to ¥5,550.

    Banks saw gains on the possibility that the Bank of Japan will raise interest rates when it meets next week, on the theory that lending margins might improve if rates go up. Mitsubishi UFJ gained 1.3 percent to ¥1,510,000, while Mizuho Financial added 2.3 percent to ¥880,000.

    The consumer finance sector was up on the session. Aiful was up 2.7 percent to ¥3,820, while Takefuji gained 3.5 percent to ¥5,270 and Credit Saison was 5.1 percent higher to ¥4,510.

    Securities house Nikko Cordial was still seeing fallout from its recent accounting troubles, dropping 2 percent to ¥1,275.





    January 5, 2007

    Isetan sees gains on record sales

    Filed under: Companies, Isetan, Nippon Steel, Canon, Toyota, Inpex, Honda, JFE, Toshiba, Sumitomo Metal Industries, Japan Petroleum, Mitsubishi Materials, Oji Paper, Toho Zinc, Fanuc

    The Tokyo equities markets were lower on Friday as trade volumes were low ahead of another holiday weekend. The Nikkei 225 dropped 1.51 percent to 17,091.51, while the Topix index was 1.4 percent lower to 1,675.33.

    The automobile manufacturing sector saw losses as investors took profits after recent gains. Toyota was down 2.4 percent to ¥7,900, while Honda fell almost 3 percent to ¥4,600.

    Other export-dependent sectors also saw declines. Canon was 2 percent lower to ¥6,530. Meanwhile, industrial robot manufacturer Fanuc fell 2.8 percent to ¥11,430. Bucking the trend was Toshiba, which was 1.64 percent higher to ¥808 on reports that it will develop a new boiling water reactor for nuclear power plants, to be marketed both domestically and in foreign markets by 2015.

    Declines in crude oil prices hurt oil companies. Inpex dropped 2.5 percent to ¥919,000, while Japan Petroleum fell almost 5 percent to ¥6,610.

    The steel sector was down as well, as were companies dealing in non-ferrous metals. Among steel makers, JFE was 5.7 percent lower to ¥5,750 and Nippon Steel was down 6 percent to ¥622. In the non-ferrous metals sector, Mitsubishi Materials fell 1.4 percent to ¥430, while Sumitomo Metal Mining was 2.5 percent lower to ¥1,456 and Toho Zinc dropped 7.4 percent to ¥1,021.

    Gainers on the day included department store Isetan, which added 2 percent to ¥2,230 on record sales. Oji Paper was helped by the decline in crude oil prices, gaining almost 4 percent to ¥675.





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