Tokyo shares fall on profit-taking

TOKYO: Tokyo stocks shed earlier gains and ended lower Monday as cautious investors locked in recent profits.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index lost 0.53 percent, or 177.86 points, to 33,447.67, while the broader Topix index fell 0.38 percent, or 9.18 points, to 2,381.76.

The Nikkei began the day in the positive region and briefly shot to 33,811, above the best close of this year, as investors cheered rising US blue chip shares.

“But the market gradually came under pressure on profit-taking while investors monitored rising interest rates,” IwaiCosmo Securities said.

“A sense of caution is lingering over possible short-term overheating” after recent market gains while softer Chinese markets also discouraged buyers, the brokerage added.

Japan’s Nikkei inches down as automakers skid on yen strength

Investors will be turning their eyes to a barrage of major US data, including reports on Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales ahead the holiday shopping season, said Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management.

Other US data include a fresh “October PCE (Personal Consumption Expenditures) Inflation report” which “is a significant indicator closely watched by the Federal Reserve for assessing inflation trends,” he added.

The dollar fetched 149.04 yen in Asian trade, against 149.48 yen in New York on Friday.

Among major shares in Tokyo, Toyota fell 1.18 percent to 2,770 yen. SoftBank Group dropped 1.69 percent to 6,123 yen.

Sony Group slipped 0.31 percent to 12,810 yen.

Chip-testing equipment maker Advantest fell 0.18 percent at 4,524 yen.

Industrial robot maker Fanuc added 1.00 percent to 4,151 yen, shipping firm Kawasaki Kisen added 1.12 percent to 5,253 yen, and Olympus rose 0.65 percent to 2,242 yen.