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

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

AiVIF.com – Japan stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Gas & Water, Pharmaceutical Industry and Transportation Equipment sectors led shares higher.

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

The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc. (TYO:8766), which rose 2.61% or 200.00 points to trade at 7,859.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd. (TYO:5202) added 2.60% or 10.00 points to end at 394.00 and Sapporo Holdings Ltd. (TYO:2501) was up 2.60% or 75.00 points to 2,955.00 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. (TYO:5713), which fell 6.00% or 273.00 points to trade at 4,274.00 at the close. Shionogi & Co., Ltd. (TYO:4507) declined 5.57% or 378.00 points to end at 6,408.00 and Hitachi Construction Machinery Co (TYO:6305) was down 5.30% or 167.00 points to 2,983.00.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by 2089 to 1376 and 276 ended unchanged.

Shares in Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc. (TYO:8766) rose to all time highs; rising 2.61% or 200.00 to 7,859.00. Shares in Sapporo Holdings Ltd. (TYO:2501) rose to 3-years highs; up 2.60% or 75.00 to 2,955.00.

The Nikkei Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, was up 0.88% to 24.21.

Crude oil for August delivery was down 1.90% or 2.02 to $104.17 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in August fell 1.69% or 1.89 to hit $109.85 a barrel, while the August Gold Futures contract fell 0.09% or 1.70 to trade at $1,836.70 a troy ounce.

USD/JPY was down 0.52% to 135.55, while EUR/JPY fell 0.99% to 142.54.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.34% at 104.33.