Nikkei hits new 5-1/2-year high but pace of gains slow, Bernanke cues eyed

By Ayai Tomisawa

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average edged up to a fresh 5-1/2-year high on Tuesday, reversing earlier losses, as retail investors scooped up underperforming stocks such as Sharp Corp <6753.T> and Tokyo Electric Power Co Inc <9501.T>.

Trading was choppy, with the Nikkei moving in and out of negative territory before ending up 0.1 percent to 15,381.02 -- the highest closing level since December 2007.

During the day, it rose as high as 15,388.37, its best mark since the same time.

Investors remained cautious ahead of U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's appearance at a Congressional hearing on Wednesday, while buying was also partially restrained by the market's sharp spike over the past two weeks.

 

The benchmark Nikkei has rallied nearly 48 percent this year on the back of aggressive government and central bank policies to revive the economy, and it has soared more than 8 percent since May 9, when the dollar broke above the 100-yen mark..

The yen last traded at 102.54 to the dollar, rebounding from a 4-1/2-year low of 103.32 hit on Friday.

"There was some sector rotation... investors sold recent gainers such as real estate and banking stocks to buy material shares like steel companies," said Nobuhiko Kuramochi, a strategist at Mizuho Securities

Traders said that institutional investors stayed on the sidelines on Tuesday while retail investors picked up underperforming stocks such as Sharp Corp <6753.T> and Tokyo Electric Power Co Inc <9501.T>.

"A lot of the laggards in the once hated stocks, like Sharp, TEPCO, Mitsubishi Motors, Kobe Steel and Tokuyama, are up on double-digits," said a senior trader at a foreign bank.

Sharp rose as much as 15 percent before ending up 8.7 percent, while TEPCO ended 12 percent higher and Mitsubishi Motors Corp <7211.T> jumped 34 percent.

Kobe Steel Ltd <5406.T> and chemical manufacturer Tokuyama Corp <4043.T> soared 19 percent and 14 percent, respectively.

The real estate sector was down 2.8 percent and was the worst sectoral performer, with Mitsui Fudosan Co <8801.T> dropping 3.0 percent and Mitsubishi Estate Co <8802.T> shedding 2.3 percent.

Banks were weaker, with Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group <8316.T> falling 1.5 percent and Mizuho Financial Group <8411.T> sliding 0.9 percent.

For investors, Bernanke's testimony is shaping up as a pivotal market event given the growing speculation that the Fed may roll back its stimulus programme sooner than expected.

The focus was also on the Bank of Japan's two-day meeting, which concludes on Wednesday. The central bank is expected to stand pat on monetary policy, but it may seek ways to calm the bond market after the recent shakeout that saw a sharp spike in yields.

The broader Topix gained 0.1 percent to 1,270.39 in heavy trade, with 6.25 billion shares changing hands, the highest level since April 5.

Other notable movers on Tuesday included SoftBank Corp <9984.T>, down 3.8 percent. U.S. wireless operator Sprint Nextel Corp said it has received a waiver from SoftBank allowing it to engage with Dish Network Corp in discussions over a proposed offer, although Sprint said its recommendation in favour of the SoftBank offer has not changed.

(Additional reporting by Dominic Lau; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)