The benchmark Nikkei 225 index slipped 0.25 per cent or 60.31 points to 23,962.79 in early trade, while the broader Topix index was down 0.06 per cent or 0.97 points at 1,739.01. — Reuters pic
TOKYO, Dec 16 — Tokyo stocks opened lower today, with traders taking money off the table following a 2.55-per cent rally in the previous session that was fuelled by a US-China trade deal and Britain’s election.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index slipped 0.25 per cent or 60.31 points to 23,962.79 in early trade, while the broader Topix index was down 0.06 per cent or 0.97 points at 1,739.01.
“Japanese shares are seen led by profit-taking sales after US shares moved up by a very little margin,” said Yoshihiro Ito, chief strategist at Okasan Online Securities.
Wall Street was largely unmoved by the long-awaited US-China trade deal unveiled on Friday, which marked the end to a steady escalation in the dispute after nearly two years.
But after two big risk factors passed — the US-China trade deal and the British election — the market should rise over the longer term, analysts said.
The dollar fetched ¥109.37 (RM4.14) in early Asian trade, against ¥109.35 in New York late Friday.
This week, investors are watching a series of global data including US factory output and housing data due tomorrow, and China’s factory output due later today, said Shuji Hosoi, senior strategist at Daiwa Securities.
Bank of Japan governor Haruhiko Kuroda’s press conference after a two-day policy meeting through Thursday is also in focus, he said.
In Tokyo, automakers were among the losers, with Toyota slipping 0.40 per cent to ¥7,779, Honda trading down 0.49 per cent at ¥3,205 and Nissan off 0.58 per cent at ¥676.5.
Panasonic was down 0.80 per cent at ¥1,049.5 and Sony was lower by 0.20 per cent at ¥7,428.
On Wall Street, the Dow finished in positive territory by a hair, closing essentially flat at 28,135.38. — AFP