Japan stocks higher at close of trade; Nikkei 225 up 1.88%

Investing.com – Japan stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Precision Instruments, Transportation Equipment and Services sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 rose 1.88% to hit a new 5-year high.

The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Itochu Corp. (TYO:8001), which rose 4.50% or 274.00 points to trade at 6,365.00 at the close. Meanwhile, KDDI Corp. (TYO:9433) added 4.21% or 196.00 points to end at 4,851.00 and Hitachi Ltd (TYO:6501) was up 4.20% or 445.00 points to 11,045.00 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Yamato Holdings Co., Ltd. (TYO:9064), which fell 3.85% or 106.00 points to trade at 2,646.00 at the close. Rakuten Inc (TYO:4755) declined 2.44% or 16.10 points to end at 643.70 and SKY Perfect JSAT Holdings Inc. (TYO:9412) was down 1.65% or 12.00 points to 717.00.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by 2064 to 1611 and 219 ended unchanged.

Shares in Itochu Corp. (TYO:8001) rose to all time highs; gaining 4.50% or 274.00 to 6,365.00. Shares in KDDI Corp. (TYO:9433) rose to all time highs; gaining 4.21% or 196.00 to 4,851.00. Shares in Hitachi Ltd (TYO:6501) rose to all time highs; rising 4.20% or 445.00 to 11,045.00.

The Nikkei Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, was up 4.01% to 19.20.

Crude oil for February delivery was up 0.76% or 0.54 to $71.91 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in March rose 0.79% or 0.61 to hit $77.41 a barrel, while the February Gold Futures contract rose 0.54% or 10.90 to trade at $2,038.70 a troy ounce.

USD/JPY was down 0.20% to 145.43, while EUR/JPY fell 0.13% to 159.74.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.12% at 101.96.