By Myra P. Saefong
TOKYO (MarketWatch) -- Japanese shares edged lower Thursday morning in Tokyo, pressured by declines in U.S. stocks and a fall in the nation's August industrial production. But trading houses rose on the heels of hefty gains in gold and oil prices in New York. The Nikkei Stock Average (JP:NI225 9,369, -190.03, -1.99%) shed 0.1% to 9,550.30 and the broader Topix fell 0.1% to 846.31. Shares of Itochu Corp. (JP:8001 762.00, +9.00, +1.20%) (ITOCY 90.96, +1.03, +1.15%) added 1.7% while shares of Mitsubishi Corp. (JP:8058 2,018, +35.00, +1.77%) (MSBHY 48.20, +0.96, +2.03%) and Mitsui & Co. (JP:8031 1,255, +20.00, +1.62%) (MITSY 300.49, +7.94, +2.71%) each added 0.6%. Inpex Corp. (JP:1605 408,000, +8,000, +2.00%) (IPXHY 48.25, +1.00, +2.12%) saw its stock fall 1.8% after the Nikkei business daily said the oil company will withdraw from the Azadegan oil field development project in Iran because of pressure from the U.S. government. Shares of Nintendo Co. (JP:7974 23,900, +100.00, +0.42%) (NTDOF 257.00, -14.00, -5.17%) lost 7.7% after issuing a profit warning late Wednesday. Elsewhere, South Korea's Kospi (XX:KS11 1,866, +10.48, +0.56%) was up 0.2% in early dealings. |
