Japan Stocks Close Lower; Nikkei 225 Declines 1.05%

Japan’s stock market experienced a decline on Monday, closing lower as losses in various sectors, including automotive, real estate, and utilities, pushed shares down.

By the end of trading in Tokyo, the main index fell 1.05%, reaching a new one-month low.

Among the day’s top performers was Hitachi Zosen Corp., which saw a rise of 4.46%, adding 37 points to close at 867.00. Fukuoka Financial Group, Inc. also performed well, increasing by 2.01% or 54 points to finish at 2,742.00. Resona Holdings, Inc. gained 1.96%, up 12.50 points to close at 650.90.

Conversely, Mazda Motor Corp. suffered the most significant loss of the session, dropping 3.13% or 34 points to settle at 1,052.00. Daikin Industries, Ltd. fell by 2.93%, losing 645 points to end at 21,400.00. Inpex Corp. was down 2.86%, dropping 42 points to close at 1,426.00.

On the Tokyo Stock Exchange, declining stocks outnumbered those that advanced, with 2,269 stocks falling compared to 1,269 that rose, while 286 remained unchanged.

The volatility index, reflecting implied volatility for Nikkei 225 options, increased by 8.89%, reaching 17.76.

In commodity markets, crude oil for February delivery rose by 0.66%, or 0.49, to $74.95 a barrel. Brent oil for February also saw a gain of 0.58%, adding 0.46 to reach $79.50 a barrel. Additionally, February Gold Futures increased by 0.15%, or 2.65, trading at $1,802.85 per troy ounce.

In currency exchange, the USD/JPY rate fell by 0.57% to 135.91, while the EUR/JPY was down 0.10% to 144.51. The US Dollar Index Futures also declined, down 0.25% to 104.07.