Dec 26 2024: Japan’s stock market closed on a positive note Thursday, with the Nikkei 225 climbing 1.39%. Gains were led by the Shipbuilding, Automobiles & Parts, and Chemical, Petroleum & Plastic sectors.
Top Performers:
J.Front Retailing Co., Ltd. (TYO:3086): Shares surged 8.27% or 165.00 points, reaching a five-year high at 2,159.00.
Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd. (TYO:3099): The stock rose 7.60% or 191.50 points, closing at 2,711.50.
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (TYO:7201): Gained 6.58% or 34.10 points, ending at 552.40.
Underperformers:
Rakuten Inc (TYO:4755): Fell 2.09% or 18.20 points to 851.30.
Eisai Co., Ltd. (TYO:4523): Dropped 1.24% or 53.00 points to a five-year low of 4,224.00.
Nitori Holdings Co Ltd (TYO:9843): Declined 0.79% or 145.00 points to 18,295.00.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange saw 2,436 stocks rise compared to 1,226 declines, while 237 remained unchanged.
The Nikkei Volatility Index dropped by 16.16% to 18.31, marking a three-month low, indicating reduced market uncertainty.
Commodities Update:
Crude Oil: February delivery increased by 0.14% or $0.10 to $70.20 per barrel.
Brent Oil: March delivery edged up by 0.11% or $0.08 to $73.25 per barrel.
Gold: February futures gained 0.21% or $5.64, trading at $2,641.14 per troy ounce.
Currency Markets:
USD/JPY: Slightly decreased by 0.02% to 157.38.
EUR/JPY: Dropped 0.07% to 163.64.
US Dollar Index Futures: Down 0.06% at 107.96.
The session reflects continued optimism in Japan’s equities while global commodity and currency markets remain stable with modest movements.
