Japan Stocks end mixed on profit booking

Japan share market finished session mixed on Tuesday, 18 August 2020, as yen appreciation against greenback amid U.S.-China political tensions and the deadlock in the negotiations for a Covid-19 stimulus package in the United States dented investors' risk appetite and fuelled profit taking.

At closing bell, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average declined 45.67 points, or 0.2%, to 23,051.08. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange rose 1.03 points, or 0.06%, at 1,610.85.

Total 16 issues of the 33 industry category of Topix index dived into negative territory, with Mining, Air Transportation, Iron & Steel, Insurance, Banks, and Nonferrous Metals issues being notable losers, while Other Products, Retail Trade, Foods, and Services issues were notable gainers.

Tensions between Washington and Beijing continued to weigh on investor sentiments. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration announced Monday a further tightening of restrictions on Huawei, aimed at limiting the Chinese telecommunications giant's access to commercially available chips. That development came after Trump issued an executive order Friday forcing China's ByteDance to sell or spin off its U.S. TikTok business within 90 days.

Shares of airline companies declined, with Japan Airlines down 1.9% and ANA Holdings down 1.7% after the International Air Transportation Association said that global air traffic will not return to levels before the coronavirus pandemic until 2024.

Fujifilm Holdings gained 0.7% after the company said that its unit Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies will manufacture Novavax's coronavirus vaccine candidate in the UK, starting in early 2021.

CURRENCY: The Japanese yen traded at 105.54 per dollar after strengthening from levels above 106.4 against the greenback yesterday.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News