Japan’s stock market saw a slight uptick on Wednesday, with the Nikkei 225 closing 0.12% higher, bolstered by gains in the Paper & Pulp, Transport, and Railway & Bus sectors. Leading the charge was Rakuten Inc., which surged by 9.19%, adding 86.60 points to close at 1,028.50, marking a 52-week high. Lasertec Corp also performed well, gaining 4.19% to finish at 28,735.00, while Advantest Corp. climbed 4.18%, closing at 6,381.00.
On the downside, Idemitsu Kosan Co Ltd saw the most significant loss, dropping 2.72% to 1,056.00. Sumitomo Heavy Industries and Pacific Metals Co., Ltd. also faced declines, falling by 2.47% and 2.44% respectively.
Overall, declining stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, with 2,262 stocks falling compared to 1,333 that gained, and 270 remaining unchanged. The Nikkei Volatility index, which gauges the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, edged up by 0.20% to 25.43.
In the commodities market, crude oil prices inched up, with October delivery rising by 0.11% to $75.61 a barrel, and Brent oil for November delivery increasing by 0.09% to $78.73 a barrel. However, December Gold Futures dipped by 0.38%, trading at $2,543.15 per troy ounce. Currency movements saw the USD/JPY pair rise by 0.41% to 144.54, while the EUR/JPY slightly decreased by 0.01% to 161.02.
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