By V. Phani Kumar
HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Japanese shares slumped Friday as investors sold down exporters on sharp gains for the yen and ahead of a long weekend, given Monday's public holiday. The Nikkei Stock Average fell 2.9% to 9,408.36, the benchmark's biggest percentage fall since June 7, while the broader Topix dropped 1.9% to 840.58. Canon Inc. (CAJ 39.76, -0.37, -0.92%) (JP:7751 3,490, -90.00, -2.51%) lost 3.2% and Sony Corp. (JP:6758 2,530, -62.00, -2.39%) (SNE 28.68, -0.40, -1.38%) sank 5%. In currency trades, the U.S. dollar fell to 87.19 yen from 87.43 yen late Thursday in New York, while the euro slid to 112.54 yen from 113.00 yen. |
