The Tokyo equities markets were substantially higher on Wednesday. The Nikkei 225 added 1.1 percent to 15,914.23 and the Topix index gained 1.3 percent to 1,552.87, while the Mothers index of small and mid-cap stocks was up 6 percent to 1,069.72 following multi-year lows reached earlier in the week. The gain in the Mothers index came as investors came to believe that stocks listed there have fallen enough to qualify as bargains.

Gains in the prices of metals took the non-ferrous metals sector 4.1 percent higher, with Sumitomo Metal Mining adding 3.4 percent to ¥1,414. Oil prices that were up Tuesday due to bad weather in Alaska sent Inpex 4.6 percent higher to ¥937,000.

Domestic sectors saw gains as well. The banking sector was up 2 percent as a whole, with Mitsubishi UFJ adding 2.2 percent to ¥1,420,000. Seven & I gained 2.3 percent to ¥3,500 in a retail sector that was 2.8 percent higher as a whole. The real estate sector was up 3 percent, with Mitsui Fudosan adding 2.1 percent to ¥2,620.

Telecommunications and internet company Softbank saw a gain of 8.4 percent on the session, to ¥2,320.

Among losers on the day was electronics maker NEC, dropping 5.6 percent to ¥557 on a report that showed losses in the first half and on a 64 percent downward revision in its prediction for the full year.

Weakness in the consumer finance and securities sectors sent the Tokyo equities markets lower on Wednesday. The Nikkei 225 dropped 0.5 percent to 16,699.30, while the Topix index fell 0.6 percent to 1,653.38. There were losses in a number of other sectors as well.

In the telecommunications sector, NTT DoCoMo was down 2.2 percent to ¥180,000. Softbank dropped 2.5 percent to ¥2,590. The declines came as investors were wary of a possible price war among mobile phone carriers. KDDI, on the other hand, added 1 percent to ¥735,000 after declines on Tuesday.

The electronics sector saw declines as well, with NEC 6 percent lower to ¥639 on the announcement that it will abandon US accounting standards and use Japanese rules, which are less demanding, instead. The move came after it did not file its report for the quarter ending in March on time with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Consumer finance companies were hurt when Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party dropped a plan that would have let the lenders charge more than the maximum allowable interest on some loans. Acom dropped 4.9 percent to ¥4,490, while Takefuji fell 5 percent to ¥4,520 and Aiful was 7.2 percent lower to ¥4,140.

The securities sector was 3.2 percent lower as a whole, with Nomura dropping 2.5 percent to ¥2,165 as investors worried about what its quarterly report would reveal. Their fears were borne out when the securities house’s report showed that profits were down by 28.5 percent in its second quarter. Daiwa Securities, meanwhile, fell 4.1 percent to ¥1,381.

In its first trading day since North Korea claimed to have conducted a nuclear test, the main Tokyo equities markets managed to hold their own as the Nikkei 225 added 0.3 percent to 15,491.65 and the Topix index held steady at 1,634.83. However, the Mothers index of small and mid-cap stocks dropped 4 percent to 1,125.60. Domestically-focused stocks tended to not do as well as export-dependent stocks.

Companies that supply Japan’s defense force did well in the wake of uncertainty over what North Korea’s claims mean for Japan. Ishikawa Seisakusho, which makes textile-making machines and defense equipment, was 5.5 percent higher to ¥173.

One domestic sector that was able to maintain gains was real estate, which is still benefiting from the general upward trend of Japanese land prices. Mitsubishi Estate added 0.9 percent to ¥2,805, while Mitsui Fudosan gained 1.5 percent to ¥2,790. Retail, however, was down 1.6 percent as a sector, with general retailer Seven & I down 1.8 percent to ¥3,840.

With machinery orders down more than expected, the sector dropped 0.7 percent and construction machinery manufacturer Komatsu was 1.4 percent lower to ¥2,095.

The electronics sector was higher on the session. Toshiba added 2 percent to ¥721, while Sharp gained 2.5 percent to ¥2,075 and NEC Electronics was 3.6 percent higher to ¥4,040.

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.

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.

With foreign buyers selling more than they bought for the fourth consecutive session, Tokyo equities markets declined on Tuesday even though news from the corporate world tended toward the positive. The Nikkei 225 dropped 0.4 percent to 15,859.45, while the Topix index was down 0.2 percent to 1,612.76.

The real estate sector was down on continuing worries that values are too high. Tokyo Tatemono declined by 2.7 percent to ¥1,162. Mitsubishi Estate dropped 1.5 percent to ¥2,245. Mitsui Fudosan and Tokyu Land, meanwhile, each lost 1 percent, to ¥2,360 and ¥857 respectively.

Retailers also lost ground on the day, declining by 1.3 percent as a whole. Among department stores, Takashimaya was down 1.3 percent to ¥1,521, Matsuzakaya dropped 1.8 percent to ¥856, and Matsuya lost 5.8 percent to ¥1,950. Seven & I, which holds convenience stores and restaurants along with departments stores, was down 1.5 percent to ¥4,010, while convenience store operator Lawson fell 1 percent to ¥4,110.

The electronics sector was mixed, with NEC up 1.2 percent to ¥696 after it said it would talk with Matsushita Electric about joining up to manufacture cell phones. Matsushita, however, dropped 0.2 percent to ¥2,490.

In Tokyo on Friday, the Nikkei 225 was down 1.5 percent to 16,601.78, for its fourth losing day in a row. Meanwhile, the Topix index dropped 1.4 percent to 1,688.18. Many of the declines came in sectors that depend on exports as the US dollar continued its decline in the relation to the yen, which was at ¥109.95 versus the greenback at one point in Asian trade during the day.

Among electronics companies, NEC lost 4.9 percent to ¥741 after it revealed that its net profits were down 84 percent in the period January to March due to problems in its semiconductor and mobile phone units. Consumer electronics giant Sony was down 2.2 percent to ¥5,330.

Automobile manufacturers were also down on the day. Toyota saw losses for the fifth day in a row, losing 2.6 percent on Friday to ¥6,370 even though it announced earlier in the week that full-year net profits were at record highs. Elsewhere in the sector, Honda dropped 1.6 percent to ¥7,850, while Nissan declined by 1.8 percent to ¥1,452.

Bucking the losing trend, camera manufacturer Canon added 2 percent to ¥8,670 on Friday after Thursday’s announcement that it will do a three-for-two stock split and that its dividend will rise to ¥110.

The Tokyo equities markets were lower on Monday as investors worried about higher oil prices and a declining dollar in relation to the yen. The Nikkei 225 was down 2.8 percent on the day to 16,914.40 while the Topix index was 2.6 percent lower, closing at 1,710.76. Despite the drop in the dollar, exporters did no worse than domestic stocks.

Transport equipment and electrical machinery were two of the export-sensitive sectors to see big declines, dropping 2.7 percent and 2.5 percent respectively. Toyota dropped 2.8 percent to ¥6,710, for example. NEC dropped 4.5 percent to ¥834 when it warned of lower profits, while Hitachi was down 4.2 percent to ¥841, Sony fell 2.9 percent to ¥5,970, and Sharp declined by 2.4 percent to ¥2,015.

In domestic sectors, consumer finance companies were down again after the expected announcement that a government panel has proposed a drop in the maximum rate of interest the companies can charge on loans. OMC Card dropped 11.3 percent to ¥1,690 after one of its subsidiaries was told to suspend operations because it had violated rules on lending. Elsewhere in the sector, Credit Saison was down 4.4 percent to ¥5,670 and Takefuji lost 2.5 percent to ¥7,030.

The Tokyo equities markets were down on Tuesday as technology and domestic stocks were down. The Nikkei 225 dropped by 0.2 percent to 17,418.13 and the Topix index was down 0.4 percent to 1,770.18.

The technology sector declined after downgrades from Mizuho Securities. NEC Electronics declined by 2.9 percent to ¥4,620. Chip-testing equipment manufacturer Advantest dropped 2.8 percent to ¥14,580. Toshiba was down by 2.7 percent to ¥727.

The banking sector was down by 0.5 percent as a whole, with Mitsubishi UFJ losing 0.5 percent to ¥1,910,000.

Securities dropped 0.8 percent as a sector, with Japan’s largest securities house, Nomura, losing 1.6 percent to ¥2,720.

The real estate sector, however, was up a bit after earlier losses. Mitsui Fudosan added 0.8 percent to ¥2,650

The biggest gainers on the day were the miners and the oil sector. Among miners, Toho Zinc was up 3 percent to ¥1,220 and Sumitomo Metal Mining added 1.4 percent to ¥1,741. Nippon Mining, which deals both in non-ferrous metals and in petroleum products, gained 7.1 percent to ¥1,097. Among oil companies, Japan Petroleum Exploration was up 3.9 percent to ¥8,180, while Inpex added 2.4 percent to ¥1,260,000.