Tokyo shares closed mixed on Monday, with the benchmark Nikkei index finishing moderately and the broader TOPIX index settling slightly lower. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average rose 26.98 points or 0.2% to 17,358.15. The broader TOPIX index slipped 2.04 points or 0.1% to 1,657.44. The U.S. dollar traded in a range above 117 yen level, sustaining its strength on the back of robust U.S. retail sales data. At around 6:00 p.m. local time, the dollar was quoted at 117.64-117.65 yen, up 0.34 yen from Friday's 5:00 p.m. quotes of 117.30-33 yen in Tokyo. On the economic front, industrial output for August was revised to 3.5% on month from 3.4% estimated earlier, according to a final report from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Major gainers included shipping companies and non-ferrous metal producers. Nippon Yusen KK and Mitsui OSK Lines advanced 2.1% and Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha edged up 0.4%. Mitsui Mining & Smelting rose 4.2%, Sumitomo Metal Mining gained 2.3%, Mitsubishi Materials climbed 1.7% and Sumitomo Light Metal Industries added 2.3%. In the tech space, Tokyo Electron rose 2.9%, Advantest jumped 6.4%, Fujitsu advanced 2.6% and Sony edged up 0.2%. Among auto makers, Honda plummeted 2.0%, Nissan fell 1.5% and Toyota Motor tumbled 1.68%. Mazda and Suzuki closed unchanged. Among decliners, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group plunged 3.7%, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group dropped 0.7%, Resona Holdings fell 1.4% and Shinsei Bank declined 5.5%. Mitsubishi Estate shed 1.8% and Mitsui Fudosan slipped 0.9%.
October 15, 2007 5:29 AM