The Tokyo equities markets were lower on Monday as export-reliant sectors saw declines on the news that China’s central bank is cutting back on lending. The announcement spurred worries that China’s economy is slowing down. The Topix index was also hurt by declines in the banking sector.

The Nikkei 225 was 0.1 percent lower to 14,860.35, while the Topix dropped 0.5 percent to 1,527.66. Meanwhile, the Mothers index of small and mid-cap stocks closed flat at 1,462.71.

Among companies hit by the news from China were smelter Mitsubishi Materials, which dropped 3 percent to ¥458 and construction machinery manufacturer Komatsu, down 3.5 percent to ¥2,075.

The electrical machinery sector dropped 0.5 percent as a sector. Among electronics companies, Hitachi was down 1.1 percent to ¥743, while Sony dropped 1.6 percent to ¥4,860. In the semiconductor sector, Advantest lost 2.6 percent to ¥10,750.

Among banks, Mizuho lost 1.9 percent to ¥875,000, while Mitsubishi UFJ declined by 2 percent to ¥1,460,000.

Pharmaceuticals and seafood companies, however, saw gains on the day. Strong export sales in the seafood sector saw Nippon Suisan add 3.1 percent to ¥589 and Maruha gain 3.5 percent to ¥325.

The pharmaceuticals sector was up 2.3 percent as a whole. Takeda added 1.7 percent to ¥6,730, Chugai was up 3.4 percent to ¥2,280, and Daiichi Sankyo gained 6.1 percent to ¥2,890.

Ishikawa Seisakusho, which manufactures defence products in addition to textiles, added 17.7 percent on the day to ¥166 as suspicions rose that North Korea is preparing to test a missile in the near future.

Tokyo equities markets made small gains on Monday, with the Nikkei 225 adding 0.6 percent to 14,833.01 and the Topix index advancing by 0.8 percent to 1,510.89. Meanwhile, the Mothers market, listing small and mid-cap stocks gained 4 percent to 1,376.86.

Domestic stocks did well after the most recent gross domestic product data was revised upward. Retail added 2 percent, while the real estate sector gained 2.1 percent and paper and pulp was up 3.2 percent.

Among retailers, Seven and I was up 1.4 percent to ¥3,700, while Aeon gained 3.2 percent to ¥2.445. In the real estate sector, Mitsui Fudosan advanced by 2 percent to ¥2,305 while its largest rival, Mitsubishi Estate, added 2.1 percent to ¥3.700.

The news that wholesale tissue paper prices will go up for the first time in three years worked to the advantage of the paper sector. Nippon Paper was up by 3 percent to ¥452,000. Oji Paper gained 5.3 percent to ¥611 when Mitsubishi UFJ Securities revised its recommendation upward.

Exporters also saw gains on the day. In the automobile manufacturing sector, Honda was up 0.7 percent to ¥7,030, while Toyota gained 0.9 percent to ¥5,770.

International sales have also helped the seafood sector. Nippon Suisan, for example, added 2.4 percent to ¥593.

Tokyo equities markets dropped significantly on Tuesday as investors worried that interest rates in the United States could rise further. The Nikkei 225 dropped 1.8 percent to 15,384.86, while the Topix index closed 1.7 percent lower at 1,56 7.30. The Mother’s market of small-cap stocks, declined by 2.8 percent to 1,355.30.

Exporters saw their shares decline, but there were losses in domestic sectors as well. Real estate was down 3.6 percent as a sector, while the electronics sector declined by 1.8 percent.

Seafood companies were the only real winners on the day, as their international sales continue to grow. Nippon Suisan added 1.4 percent to ¥571, while Maruha gained 3.6 percent to ¥342.

Among electronics companies, consumer electronics giant Sony dropped 1.5 percent to ¥5,110, while Hitachi declined by 1.6 percent to ¥763 and component manufacturer Kyocera lost 2.4 percent to ¥9,220.

Mitsui Fudosan, the largest real estate company in Japan, declined by 2.8 percent to ¥2,300, while Mitsubishi Estate fell 4.1 percent to ¥2,125.

Automobile manufacturers, which sell a huge portion of their cars in the United States, also saw declines. Honda declined by 1.3 percent to ¥7,340 and Nissan closed 1.9 percent lower at ¥1,322.

In the banking sector, Mizuho Trust, part of the Mizuho group fell a further 4.8 percent to ¥280. The shares have been falling since Friday’s “underperform” rating from Goldman Sachs.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 closed at its lowest level in two months, dropping 1.8 percent to 15,857.87. The Topix index lost 1.4 percent to 1,615.86. Miners were down there, as well, with Nippon Mining losing 8 percent to ¥948 and Sumitomo Metal Mining down by 3.9 percent to ¥1,471.

Among Japanese semiconductor companies, Elpida Memory lost 5.2 percent to ¥4,890 on a restatement of last year’s earnings that showed an even wider net loss than had been previously reported. In the electronics sector, Sony added 0.8 percent to ¥5,120 on the announcement that mobile carrier KDDI has plans to launch a line of Walkman-type mobiles manufactured by Sony Ericsson. The news sent shares in KDDI up 1.4 percent to ¥737,000.

Seafood processing groups saw the biggest gains for the day in Tokyo, with Nippon Suisan adding 10.2 percent to ¥584 and Maruha gaining 3.3 percent to ¥282. The sector has been benefiting from foreign demand for their products.