Japan stocks higher at close of trade; Nikkei 225 up 0.02%

Investing.com – Japan stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Marine Transport, Retail and Paper&Pulp sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 gained 0.02%.

The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Tokyu Fudosan (TYO:3289), which rose 6.92% or 47.00 points to trade at 726.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Panasonic Corp (TYO:6752) added 5.98% or 77.50 points to end at 1,374.50 and Fujifilm Holdings Corp. (TYO:4901) was up 5.88% or 425.00 points to 7,659.00 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Kyowa Kirin Co Ltd (TYO:4151), which fell 12.99% or 391.00 points to trade at 2,619.00 at the close. Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. (TYO:5713) declined 11.74% or 594.00 points to end at 4,466.00 and Sumitomo Osaka Cement Co., Ltd. (TYO:5232) was down 7.83% or 300.00 points to 3,530.00.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by 1958 to 1593 and 271 ended unchanged.

Shares in Kyowa Kirin Co Ltd (TYO:4151) fell to 52-week lows; losing 12.99% or 391.00 to 2,619.00. Shares in Panasonic Corp (TYO:6752) rose to 52-week highs; up 5.98% or 77.50 to 1,374.50.

The Nikkei Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, was up 2.03% to 16.09.

Crude oil for June delivery was up 0.57% or 0.41 to $72.97 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in July rose 0.55% or 0.42 to hit $76.83 a barrel, while the June Gold Futures contract fell 0.25% or 5.10 to trade at $2,032.00 a troy ounce.

USD/JPY was up 0.09% to 134.46, while EUR/JPY fell 0.35% to 147.00.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.36% at 101.63.