Japan stocks lower at close of trade; Nikkei 225 down 0.90%

Investing.com – Japan stocks were lower after the close on Thursday, as losses in the Chemical, Petroleum&Plastic, Gas&Water and Transportation Equipment sectors led shares lower.

At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 declined 0.90%.

The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were TDK Corp (TYO:6762), which rose 5.48% or 408.00 points to trade at 7,850.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Nomura Holdings Inc (TYO:8604) added 5.15% or 39.60 points to end at 808.80 and Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. (TYO:4568) was up 5.13% or 227.00 points to 4,650.00 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Aozora Bank, Ltd. (TYO:8304), which fell 21.49% or 700.00 points to trade at 2,557.00 at the close. Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co Ltd (TYO:4506) declined 18.43% or 80.00 points to end at 354.00 and Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. (TYO:4005) was down 6.04% or 21.10 points to 328.30.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by 2567 to 1100 and 216 ended unchanged.

Shares in TDK Corp (TYO:6762) rose to all time highs; gaining 5.48% or 408.00 to 7,850.00. Shares in Nomura Holdings Inc (TYO:8604) rose to 5-year highs; gaining 5.15% or 39.60 to 808.80. Shares in Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co Ltd (TYO:4506) fell to all time lows; down 18.43% or 80.00 to 354.00.

The Nikkei Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, was down 4.90% to 18.84.

Crude oil for March delivery was up 0.16% or 0.12 to $75.97 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in April rose 0.14% or 0.11 to hit $80.66 a barrel, while the April Gold Futures contract fell 0.35% or 7.25 to trade at $2,060.15 a troy ounce.

USD/JPY was up 0.02% to 146.91, while EUR/JPY fell 0.17% to 158.67.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.40% at 103.50.