Mar 18 2024: The Japan stock market concluded Monday with significant gains, as the Nikkei 225 index surged by 2.53%. This rise was primarily driven by notable advancements in sectors like Chemical, Petroleum & Plastic, Power, and Mining.
At the close of trading in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index showed a remarkable gain of 2.53%.
Among the top performers on the Nikkei 225 were Rakuten Inc (TYO:4755), which experienced a 7.34% increase or 56.50 points, closing at 826.50. Additionally, Nidec Corp (TYO:6594) rose by 5.91% or 328.00 points, reaching 5,875.00, while Lasertec Corp (TYO:6920) saw a rise of 5.87% or 2,240.00 points, closing at 40,370.00 in late trading.
Conversely, the session’s worst performers included Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc. (TYO:9501), which faced a decline of 14.30% or 138.20 points, closing at 828.00. Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. (TYO:9502) also fell by 3.01% or 61.00 points, ending at 1,968.50, while Teijin Ltd. (TYO:3401) dropped by 1.36% or 19.00 points, reaching 1,374.00.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange witnessed a higher number of rising stocks compared to declining ones, with a ratio of 2743 to 932, while 213 stocks remained unchanged.
The Nikkei Volatility index, measuring the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, decreased by 1.17% to 20.33.
In commodities trading, crude oil for May delivery increased by 0.50% or 0.40, reaching $80.98 a barrel. Brent oil for May delivery also rose by 0.42% or 0.36, hitting $85.70 a barrel. Meanwhile, the April Gold Futures contract fell by 0.50% or 10.85, trading at $2,150.65 a troy ounce.
The USD/JPY pair rose by 0.08% to 149.13, while the EUR/JPY pair increased by 0.07% to 162.38.
The US Dollar Index Futures saw a slight increase of 0.02% at 103.08.
