Investing.com – Japan stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Gas & Water, Insurance and Communication sectors led shares higher.
At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 added 0.01% to hit a new 52-week high.
The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Nippon Suisan Kaisha, Ltd. (T:1332), which rose 6.11% or 38.0 points to trade at 660.0 at the close. Meanwhile, Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd. (T:2502) added 5.56% or 261.0 points to end at 4955.0 and Sapporo Holdings Ltd. (T:2501) was up 4.39% or 140.0 points to 3330.0 in late trade.
The worst performers of the session were Showa Denko K.K. (T:4004), which fell 2.81% or 100.0 points to trade at 3465.0 at the close. Nippon Express Co., Ltd. (T:9062) declined 2.74% or 200.0 points to end at 7100.0 and Tokai Carbon Co., Ltd. (T:5301) was down 2.04% or 22.0 points to 1059.0.
Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by 2196 to 1064 and 234 ended unchanged.
Shares in Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd. (T:2502) rose to all time highs; gaining 5.56% or 261.0 to 4955.0. Shares in Sapporo Holdings Ltd. (T:2501) rose to 5-year highs; rising 4.39% or 140.0 to 3330.0.
The Nikkei Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, was up 4.47% to 15.67.
Crude oil for November delivery was up 0.36% or 0.18 to $50.16 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in December rose 0.72% or 0.40 to hit $56.20 a barrel, while the December Gold Futures contract rose 0.23% or 2.96 to trade at $1279.76 a troy ounce.
USD/JPY was down 0.10% to 112.64, while EUR/JPY rose 0.02% to 132.62.
The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.02% at 93.29.