Stocks in Japan closed higher at the end of trading on Thursday, with the indices rising, and gains were recorded in the real estate, banking and financial and textile sectors.
At the close of trading in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 was up 0.08%.
Among the top performers on the Nikkei 225 today were SUMCO Corp. (TYO:3436), which rose 4.47% or 61.50 points to close at 1,436.00. Rakuten Inc. (TYO:4755) also saw gains, rising 3.78% or 38.00 points to finish at 1,043.00, while Keisei Electric Railway Co., Ltd. (TYO:9009) climbed 3.36% or 43.00 points to close at 1,322.50.
As for the worst performers at the close of trading, Fujikura Ltd. (TYO:5803) shares closed down 2.49%, or 450.00 points, at 17,620.00. Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. (TYO:5713) shares fell 2.42%, or 157.00 points, to 6,331.00, while Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (TYO:7012) shares closed down 2.28%, or 250.00 points, at 10,735.00.
The number of top-performing stocks exceeded the number of stocks that closed lower in trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, with 2,485 compared to 1,108, while 254 remained unchanged.
The Nikkei Volatility Index, which measures the implied standard volatility of options on the Nikkei 225 index, traded 0.36% higher and closed at 22.38.
February WTI crude oil futures fell 0.09%, or $0.05, to settle at $58.35 a barrel. In other commodities trading, February Brent crude oil futures slipped 0.14%, or $0.09, to $62.29 a barrel, while February gold futures remained unchanged at $4,505.40 an ounce.
The USD/JPY pair remained stable at 0.00% and traded at 155.93, while the EUR/JPY pair remained unchanged at 0.00% and reached 183.58.
Dollar index futures traded 0.04% higher at 97.65.
