TOKYO – Tokyo stocks opened lower today after a mixed close on Wall Street, as investors await Toyota’s earnings report due later in the trading day.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index was down 0.32%, or 92.99 points, at 29,412.94 in early trade, while the broader Topix index edged down 0.22%, or 4.32 points, to 1,921.22.
“Japanese shares are seen starting with declines following a mixed close in the US market, with attention on Toyota’s earnings report due at 1325 (0425 GMT),” said Toshiyuki Kanayama, senior market analyst at Monex, in a commentary.
The dollar fetched ¥104.56 (RM4.04) in early Asian trade, against ¥104.61 in New York late yesterday.
Nissan was up 0.76% at ¥634.3 after it upgraded its full-year forecast for the second straight quarter, as the global auto industry shows signs of recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
Honda rallied 5.17% to ¥3,131 after it said net profit more than doubled in the third quarter, and revised up its full-year forecast.
Toyota was trading up 1.01% at ¥8,075 ahead of its third-quarter earnings report.
Japan Tobacco nosedived 8.44% to ¥1,969.5 after it announced a restructuring plan, including an early retirement scheme for 1,000 employees and the closure of several domestic plants.
On Wall Street, the tech-rich Nasdaq edged to a fresh record, extending a bull run for markets buoyed by rising hopes for fiscal stimulus and expectations of a strong economic rebound.
However, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was essentially flat, dipping less than 0.1% to end at 31,375.83, retreating slightly from an all-time high set on Monday, and the broad-based S&P 500 slipped 0.1%. – AFP, February 10, 2021
_Summit_in_Tokyo._Facebook-PMO_Malaysia_pic..png)
