Investors in the Japanese market are likely to limit trade next week ahead of US Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke's speech and other possible market leads. In the week to August 24, the benchmark Nikkei at the Tokyo Stock Exchange lost 1.00 percent, or 91.74 points, to 9,070.76, while the Topix index of all first-section issues fell 1.12 percent, or 8.58 points, to 757.23.
Japanese shares slipped Friday as investors weighed the prospect of new stimulus measures from the US and China, the world's two biggest economies, to revive faltering growth.
"It's hard for investors to trade actively during next week as there are key events scheduled later in the week, such as the Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke's speech at Jackson Hole" on August 31 and China's manufacturing PMI due on September 1, Hiroaki Hiwata, strategist at Toyo Securities said.
Investors are also paying attention to Japan's consumer price index due next Friday to get any clues about the Bank of Japan's monetary policy in the context of its inflation target, he added.
The Nikkei index is expected to move in a range between 8,900 and 9,300, Hiwata said.
A summit between German Chancellor Merkel and Greek Prime Minister Samaras could have impact on the market, as debt-hit Athens struggles to meet reform conditions for continued financial aid, analysts said. "There are some risks for the (Nikkei) index to drift lower, since the eurozone situation remains uncertain, even with officials meeting," Mizuho Securities senior technical analyst Yutaka Miura told Dow Jones Newswires.