Investing.com – Japan stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Paper & Pulp, Power and Shipbuilding sectors led shares higher.
At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 added 0.03%.
The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Aozora Bank, Ltd. (TYO:8304), which rose 9.46% or 237.50 points to trade at 2,748.50 at the close. Meanwhile, Seven & i Holdings Co., Ltd. (TYO:3382) added 6.19% or 130.00 points to end at 2,230.00 and Rakuten Inc (TYO:4755) was up 3.98% or 31.40 points to 820.00 in late trade.
The worst performers of the session were Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc. (TYO:9501), which fell 4.66% or 39.60 points to trade at 810.00 at the close. Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. (TYO:9531) declined 4.32% or 148.00 points to end at 3,279.00 and DeNA Co Ltd (TYO:2432) was down 4.06% or 62.00 points to 1,465.00.
Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by 2217 to 1476 and 189 ended unchanged.
Shares in Seven & i Holdings Co., Ltd. (TYO:3382) rose to all time highs; gaining 6.19% or 130.00 to 2,230.00. Shares in Rakuten Inc (TYO:4755) rose to 52-week highs; gaining 3.98% or 31.40 to 820.00.
The Nikkei Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, was down 5.78% to 19.22.
Crude oil for April delivery was up 0.06% or 0.05 to $78.59 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in May rose 0.05% or 0.04 to hit $82.19 a barrel, while the April Gold Futures contract rose 0.10% or 1.95 to trade at $2,044.65 a troy ounce.
USD/JPY was down 0.58% to 149.80, while EUR/JPY fell 0.62% to 162.31.
The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.09% at 103.81.