Japan stocks were lower after the close on Wednesday, as losses in the Paper & Pulp, Gas & Water and Transport sectors led shares lower.
At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 lost 0.08%.
The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. (TYO:9531), which rose 12.96% or 495.00 points to trade at 4,315.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Sompo Holdings Inc. (TYO:8630) added 11.42% or 407.00 points to end at 3,971.00 and Seven & i Holdings Co., Ltd. (TYO:3382) was up 6.52% or 159.00 points to 2,597.00 in late trade.
The worst performers of the session were Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc. (TYO:8766), which fell 6.99% or 423.00 points to trade at 5,631.00 at the close. MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings (TYO:8725) fell 4.92% or 182.00 points to end at 3,518.00 and Keisei Electric Railway Co., Ltd. (TYO:9009) was down 3.66% or 148.00 points to 3,899.00.
Declining stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange with 2019 to 1,560, while 257 ended unchanged.
Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. (TYO:9531) stock climbed to a new all-time high, up 12.96% or 495.00 to 4,315.00. Sompo Holdings Inc. (TYO:8630) stock climbed to a new 52-week high, up 11.42% or 407.00 to 3,971.00. Seven & i Holdings Co., Ltd. (TYO:3382) stock climbed to a new all-time high, up 6.52% or 159.00 to 2,597.00.
The Nikkei Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, was up 12.49% to 26.12.
WTI crude oil futures for January delivery rose 0.23% or 0.16 to $69.40 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for January delivery rose 0.15% or 0.11 to $73.42 a barrel, while the December gold contract rose 0.02% or 0.50 to $2,631.50 a troy ounce.
The USD/JPY pair added 0.50% and traded at 155.43, while the EUR/JPY pair continued to rise by 0.45% and reached 164.59.
Dollar index futures were trading 0.07% higher at 106.22.
