Japan stocks higher at close of trade; Nikkei 225 up 0.07%

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

At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 added 0.07%.

The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. (TYO:4063), which rose 4.09% or 720.00 points to trade at 18,305.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Yaskawa Electric Corp. (TYO:6506) added 3.70% or 180.00 points to end at 5,050.00 and Chiba Bank Ltd (TYO:8331) was up 2.99% or 29.00 points to 998.00 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Nippon Yusen K.K (TYO:9101), which fell 3.95% or 125.00 points to trade at 3,040.00 at the close. Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (TYO:9104) declined 3.65% or 120.00 points to end at 3,165.00 and Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (TYO:9107) was down 3.05% or 84.00 points to 2,670.00.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by 1818 to 1706 and 279 ended unchanged.

Shares in Yaskawa Electric Corp. (TYO:6506) rose to 52-week highs; rising 3.70% or 180.00 to 5,050.00.

The Nikkei Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, was down 1.02% to 17.51.

Crude oil for March delivery was up 0.46% or 0.37 to $81.38 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in March rose 0.37% or 0.32 to hit $87.79 a barrel, while the February Gold Futures contract fell 0.23% or 4.50 to trade at $1,925.50 a troy ounce.

USD/JPY was down 0.13% to 130.04, while EUR/JPY fell 0.22% to 141.48.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.08% at 101.72.