By Michael Kitchen
LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Japanese stocks traded lower early Thursday, with a fall in U.S. tech shares weighing on their Tokyo-listed peers, and with persistent strength in oil prices also dragging on sentiment. The blue-chip Nikkei Stock Average (JP:NI225 10,432, -157.44, -1.49%) lost 0.6% to 10,521.2, while the broader Topix was down 0.6% to 938.49. Elpida Memory Inc. (JP:6665 1,110, -93.00, -7.73%) (ELPDF 14.85, +1.20, +8.79%) and Renesas Electronics Corp. (JP:6723 855.00, -37.00, -4.15%) (RNECY 5.64, +0.27, +5.03%) were among the top losers, diving 4.6% and 2.7%, respectively. Auto stocks also weakened, with Toyota Motor Corp. (JP:7203 3,635, -80.00, -2.15%) (TM 88.60, -0.94, -1.05%) down 1.1%, and Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (JP:7270 651.00, -17.00, -2.54%) (FUJHF 8.50, 0.00, 0.00%) falling 2.1%. Shares of Osaka Securities Exchange Co. (JP:8697 430,500, +1,500, +0.35%) (OSCUF 5,223, +222.57, +4.45%) were reported on a trading halt after a Nikkei news report that it was in talks with the Tokyo Stock Exchange to merge operations. |
