Japan Stocks end lower

Japan shares declined on Tuesday, 15 December 2020, with the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average and broader Topix index settled lower, as sentiment was dampened by weak lead from Wall Street overnight, surging Covid-19 cases domestically and in the U.S. and Europe, and the Japanese government's planned suspension of its subsidized travel campaign over the upcoming holiday period amid a surge in COVID-19 cases.

At closing bell, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average fell 44.60 points, or 0.17%, to 26,687.84. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange dropped 8.47 points, or 0.47%, to 1,782.05.

Tokyo market commenced trading with a soft note on following the mixed cues from Wall Street overnight as investors weighed stimulus progress and vaccine distribution against dire new restrictions. The U.S. coronavirus death toll topped 300,000, outpacing every other country in the world by a margin of 100,000, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University,

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's announcement that the 'Go To Travel' domestic tourism campaign will be suspended nationwide from December 28 to January 11 also dampened sentiment. The announcement comes amid record-breaking coronavirus cases emerging in Japan almost daily since late October.

CURRENCY NEWS: The Japanese yen traded at 104.13 per dollar after seeing levels below 103.8 against the greenback yesterday.

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