Japan stocks lower at close of trade; Nikkei 225 down 0.49%

Investing.com – Japan stocks were lower after the close on Wednesday, as losses in the Paper&Pulp, Pharmaceutical Industry and Retail sectors led shares lower.

At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 declined 0.49%.

The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. (TYO:9531), which rose 5.12% or 182.00 points to trade at 3,738.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Japan Steel Works Ltd (TYO:5631) added 4.03% or 145.00 points to end at 3,744.00 and Teijin Ltd. (TYO:3401) was up 3.81% or 55.00 points to 1,501.00 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were IHI Corp. (TYO:7013), which fell 5.44% or 216.00 points to trade at 3,766.00 at the close. Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (TYO:4519) declined 3.00% or 162.00 points to end at 5,222.00 and CyberAgent Inc (TYO:4751) was down 2.75% or 30.00 points to 1,059.50.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by 1904 to 1697 and 270 ended unchanged.

Shares in Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. (TYO:9531) rose to 5-year highs; up 5.12% or 182.00 to 3,738.00. Shares in Japan Steel Works Ltd (TYO:5631) rose to 52-week highs; rising 4.03% or 145.00 to 3,744.00.

The Nikkei Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, was down 1.12% to 21.24.

Crude oil for May delivery was up 0.33% or 0.28 to $85.51 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in June rose 0.31% or 0.28 to hit $89.70 a barrel, while the June Gold Futures contract rose 0.59% or 13.95 to trade at $2,376.35 a troy ounce.

USD/JPY was up 0.02% to 151.80, while EUR/JPY fell 0.05% to 164.70.

The US Dollar Index Futures was unchanged 0.00% at 103.93.