Japan stocks higher at close of trade; Nikkei 225 up 0.08%

Investing.com – Japan stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Banking, Mining and Insurance sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 gained 0.08%.

The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were DIC Corp (TYO:4631), which rose 5.47% or 147.50 points to trade at 2,842.50 at the close. Meanwhile, Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd. (TYO:3863) added 4.94% or 65.00 points to end at 1,381.00 and Mitsubishi Materials Corp. (TYO:5711) was up 3.57% or 93.50 points to 2,712.50 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Recruit Holdings Co Ltd (TYO:6098), which fell 2.97% or 181.00 points to trade at 5,914.00 at the close. Shionogi&Co., Ltd. (TYO:4507) declined 2.39% or 175.00 points to end at 7,157.00 and Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (TYO:4519) was down 2.13% or 119.00 points to 5,455.00.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by 2519 to 1126 and 245 ended unchanged.

Shares in DIC Corp (TYO:4631) rose to 52-week highs; rising 5.47% or 147.50 to 2,842.50. Shares in Mitsubishi Materials Corp. (TYO:5711) rose to 52-week highs; rising 3.57% or 93.50 to 2,712.50.

The Nikkei Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, was down 3.84% to 21.06.

Crude oil for March delivery was up 0.53% or 0.40 to $75.49 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in March rose 0.46% or 0.37 to hit $80.41 a barrel, while the February Gold Futures contract fell 0.03% or 0.70 to trade at $2,015.30 a troy ounce.

USD/JPY was up 0.21% to 147.81, while EUR/JPY rose 0.18% to 160.85.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.08% at 103.12.