Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 3.12% to close lower on Wednesday, as losses in Paper & Pulp, Transport and Communication sectors overshadowed gains in a handful of individual stocks.
The index ended the session at 40,512.30, down from the prior close, with decliners outnumbering advancers by a wide margin. On the Tokyo Stock Exchange, 2,759 stocks fell, 795 rose and 196 were unchanged. The Nikkei Volatility Index, which tracks implied volatility in Nikkei 225 options, increased 3.53% to 30.51.
Among the top performers, Mercari Inc led with a 6.19% gain to 4,750 yen, while Shift Inc and M3 Inc added 3.43% and 2.18%, respectively. The declines were led by Furukawa Electric, which slumped 13.69% to 3,770 yen, followed by Kioxia Holdings with a 12.60% drop to 49,950 yen and Pan Pacific International Holdings, which fell 11.08% to 814.10 yen.
In commodities, October crude oil futures rose 0.63% to $84.59 per barrel, while Brent crude for October delivery climbed 0.55% to $91.52. December gold futures, however, declined 0.40% to $4,403.09 per troy ounce.
The yen weakened against the dollar, with the USD/JPY pair down 0.23% to 159.24, while the EUR/JPY slipped 0.07% to 184.64. The U.S. Dollar Index futures were 0.17% lower at 99.38.
