TOKYO – Tokyo stocks opened lower today following a mixed close on Wall Street as coronavirus worries intensified.
The Nikkei 225 index was down 0.47% or 124.63 points at 26,589.79 in early trade, while the broader Topix index was down 0.73% or 13.03 points at 1,776.02.
“Japanese shares are seen dominated by sell orders on concerns over expansion in coronavirus infections at home and abroad, even though expectations for United States stimulus is supporting the downside,” Mizuho Securities said in a commentary.
The dollar fetched 103.30 yen (RM4.04) in early Asian trade, against 103.32 yen in New York late Monday.
Among major shares in Tokyo, Toyota was down 0.50% at 7,811 yen after it said it will suspend operation of its plants in Britain and France earlier than usual over virus concerns.
Its rival Honda was down 1.09% at 2,982 yen while Nissan was up 0.43% at 565 yen.
Fujifilm Holdings dropped 4.94% to 5,268 yen after reports said the Health Ministry had asked for more clinical data for approval of its anti-influenza drug Avigan for use in treating coronavirus patients.
SoftBank Group was down 1.13% at 8,393 yen following reports that it applied for an initial public offering of a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) called SVF Investment to raise up to US$525 million (RM2.1 billion).
The SPAC is sponsored by SoftBank Investment Advisers and could invest in a new or existing portfolio company, reports said.
On Wall Street, the Dow ended up 0.1% at 30,216.45 while the broad-based S&P slipped 0.4% and the tech-rich Nasdaq ended down 0.1%. – AFP, December 22, 2020
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