TOKYO: Tokyo stocks closed lower on Thursday, echoing falls in Hong Kong shares and Wall Street, as investors continue to worry about US inflation and rate hikes.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index slipped 0.06 percent, or 17.66 points, to 27,498.87, while the broader Topix index lost 0.16 percent, or 3.24 points, to 1,994.57.
Tokyo trade started with gains but the upward trend was short-lived as “falls in Hong Kong stocks and lingering worries over inflation weighed on the market,” said senior strategist Shuji Hosoi of Daiwa Securities.
Wall Street stocks fell as US Treasury yields hit a multi-month peak, following fresh proof that price pressures are persisting.
The yield on the 10-year US Treasury note, a proxy for expectations of Federal Reserve monetary policy, struck four percent for the first time since early November.
The surge came after the Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) manufacturing index came in at 47.7 in February, a bit above the January level, but still in contraction territory.
Looking ahead, traders are closely watching the ISM non-manufacturing index due on Friday, Hosoi of Daiwa Securities said, adding “a strong reading will affect the bond market” prompting further fears of inflation.
The dollar stood at 136.40 yen in Asian trade, against 136.17 yen in New York on Wednesday.
Among major shares, Sony Group ended down 0.48 percent at 11,380 yen and chip-testing equipment manufacturer Advantest lost 0.99 percent to 10,950 yen, but Panasonic advanced 2.33 percent to 1,205.5 yen.
Honda slipped 1.06 percent to 3,541 yen. Sharp ended down 1.82 percent at 918 yen.
Tokyo shares close higher on positive China data
Trading house Mitsui & Co. added 1.34 percent to 4,016 yen and Uniqlo operator Fast Retailing rallied 2.07 percent to 27,150 yen.
SoftBank Group added 1.14 percent to 5,583 yen.
Bloomberg News said Arm, a SoftBank Group subsidiary, decided not to list on the London Stock Exchange despite passionate lobbying efforts by UK politicians.
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