Japan stocks higher at close of trade; Nikkei 225 up 0.57%

Investing.com – Japan stocks were higher after the close on Friday, as gains in the Power, Steel and Insurance sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 gained 0.57%.

The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Unitika, Ltd. (TYO:3103), which rose 4.44% or 11.00 points to trade at 259.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (TYO:4183) added 3.07% or 91.00 points to end at 3,055.00 and Komatsu Ltd. (TYO:6301) was up 2.95% or 85.50 points to 2,979.50 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd. (TYO:2502), which fell 2.68% or 130.00 points to trade at 4,720.00 at the close. Recruit Holdings Co Ltd (TYO:6098) declined 1.94% or 91.00 points to end at 4,605.00 and Japan Steel Works Ltd (TYO:5631) was down 1.72% or 55.00 points to 3,145.00.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by 1785 to 1676 and 335 ended unchanged.

The Nikkei Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, was down 4.56% to 19.06.

Crude oil for October delivery was up 0.91% or 0.84 to $93.36 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in October rose 0.91% or 0.90 to hit $100.24 a barrel, while the December Gold Futures contract fell 0.29% or 5.20 to trade at $1,766.20 a troy ounce.

USD/JPY was up 0.38% to 137.02, while EUR/JPY rose 0.37% to 136.63.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.10% at 108.54.