Japan stocks lower at close of trade; Nikkei 225 down 0.41%

Investing.com – Japan stocks were lower after the close on Friday, as losses in the Transport, Automobiles & Parts and Pharmaceutical Industry sectors led shares lower.

At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 lost 0.41% to hit a new 1-month low.

The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Hino Motors, Ltd. (TYO:7205), which rose 7.59% or 42.40 points to trade at 601.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Taiheiyo Cement Corp. (TYO:5233) added 6.30% or 218.00 points to end at 3,677.00 and Okuma Corp. (TYO:6103) was up 4.79% or 160.00 points to 3,500.00 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were DeNA Co Ltd (TYO:2432), which fell 7.23% or 201.00 points to trade at 2,578.50 at the close. Tokyo Tatemono Co., Ltd. (TYO:8804) declined 6.15% or 152.50 points to end at 2,328.00 and Nintendo Co Ltd (TYO:7974) was down 4.26% or 409.00 points to 9,181.00.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by 2087 to 1483 and 292 ended unchanged.

Shares in Hino Motors, Ltd. (TYO:7205) rose to 52-week highs; up 7.59% or 42.40 to 601.00.

The Nikkei Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, was down 1.73% to 23.88.

Crude oil for March delivery was up 0.32% or 0.25 to $78.10 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in March rose 0.16% or 0.13 to hit $81.42 a barrel, while the February Gold Futures contract fell 0.34% or 9.29 to trade at $2,741.61 a troy ounce.

USD/JPY was up 0.16% to 155.56, while EUR/JPY rose 0.13% to 160.03.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.16% at 108.99.