Japan stocks higher at close of trade; Nikkei 225 up 0.63%

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

At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 rose 0.63% to hit a new 6-months high.

The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Seven&i Holdings Co., Ltd. (TYO:3382), which rose 4.09% or 259.00 points to trade at 6,589.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Resona Holdings, Inc. (TYO:8308) added 3.93% or 30.00 points to end at 793.00 and Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (TYO:2802) was up 3.50% or 152.00 points to 4,500.00 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd. (TYO:5202), which fell 2.57% or 19.00 points to trade at 720.00 at the close. Konica Minolta, Inc. (TYO:4902) declined 1.67% or 10.00 points to end at 588.00 and Toray Industries, Inc. (TYO:3402) was down 1.05% or 8.40 points to 788.40.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by 2428 to 1114 and 294 ended unchanged.

Shares in Seven&i Holdings Co., Ltd. (TYO:3382) rose to all time highs; up 4.09% or 259.00 to 6,589.00. Shares in Resona Holdings, Inc. (TYO:8308) rose to 5-year highs; rising 3.93% or 30.00 to 793.00.

The Nikkei Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, was up 1.89% to 16.19.

Crude oil for April delivery was down 0.07% or 0.05 to $76.61 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in May fell 0.05% or 0.04 to hit $82.62 a barrel, while the April Gold Futures contract fell 0.00% or 0.05 to trade at $1,818.55 a troy ounce.

USD/JPY was down 0.49% to 136.66, while EUR/JPY fell 0.36% to 144.29.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.13% at 105.50.