Japan stocks higher at close of trade; Nikkei 225 up 2.09%

Investing.com – Japan stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Shipbuilding, Mining and Automobiles&Parts sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 rose 2.09% to hit a new 5-year high.

The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Kyowa Kirin Co Ltd (TYO:4151), which rose 19.38% or 439.50 points to trade at 2,707.50 at the close. Meanwhile, SoftBank Group Corp. (TYO:9984) added 11.06% or 732.00 points to end at 7,350.00 and Advantest Corp. (TYO:6857) was up 7.56% or 462.00 points to 6,577.00 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Shimizu Corp. (TYO:1803), which fell 16.15% or 169.20 points to trade at 878.80 at the close. DeNA Co Ltd (TYO:2432) declined 10.24% or 156.50 points to end at 1,372.00 and Mitsui Mining and Smelting Co. (TYO:5706) was down 9.23% or 449.00 points to 4,415.00.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by 2274 to 1374 and 230 ended unchanged.

Shares in SoftBank Group Corp. (TYO:9984) rose to 52-week highs; rising 11.06% or 732.00 to 7,350.00. Shares in Advantest Corp. (TYO:6857) rose to all time highs; up 7.56% or 462.00 to 6,577.00.

The Nikkei Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, was down 1.45% to 19.68.

Crude oil for March delivery was up 0.45% or 0.33 to $74.19 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in April rose 0.47% or 0.37 to hit $79.58 a barrel, while the April Gold Futures contract fell 0.16% or 3.30 to trade at $2,048.40 a troy ounce.

USD/JPY was up 0.34% to 148.68, while EUR/JPY rose 0.44% to 160.33.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.00% at 103.91.