Japanese Market Notably Higher

(RTTNews) - The Japanese stock market is trading notably higher on Monday, reversing the losses in the previous session, following the broadly positive from Wall Street on Friday, with the Nikkei 225 moving above the 63,200 level, with gains in financial stocks partially offset by weakness in automakers and technology stocks.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 Index is up 500.12 points or 0.80 percent at 63,213.77, after touching a high of 63,385.04 earlier. Japanese shares ended modestly lower on Friday.

Market heavyweight SoftBank Group is tumbling more than 5 percent, while Uniqlo operator Fast Retailing is edging up 0.3 percent. Among automakers, Honda is losing more than 1 percent and Toyota is declining almost 2 percent.

In the tech space, Advantest is declining almost 2 percent, while Screen Holdings and Tokyo Electron are edging down 0.2 to 0.3 percent each.

In the banking sector, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial and Mizuho Financial are gaining almost 1 percent each.

The major exporters are mixed. Mitsubishi Electric and Panasonic are losing almost 1 percent each, while Sony is surging almost 10 percent and Canon is gaining almost 1 percent.

Among the other major gainers, Konami Group is soaring almost 13 percent, while Kioxia Holdings and Ajinomoto are jumping more than 7 percent each. Mitsubishi Motors, Japan Tobacco and Nitori Holdings are surging almost 6 percent each, while Teijin, Tokai Carbon, Sumitomo Pharma are advancing almost 5 percent each. Tokuyama and Alps Alpine are gaining more than 4 percent each, while Toyota Tsusho, Yokogawa Electric and Pan Pacific International are adding almost 3 percent each.

Conversely, IHI is tumbling more than 7 percent and Nintendo is sliding more than 6 percent, while Keisei Electric Railway and NH Foods are slipping almost 5 percent. Sumitomo Metal Mining is declining more than 4 percent, while JFE Holdings and Taiyo Yuden are losing almost 4 percent each. Sumco, Yamato Holdings and Kawasaki Heavy Industries are down more than 3 percent each, while Keyence and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries are falling almost 3 percent each.

In the currency market, the U.S. dollar is trading in the lower 157 yen-range on Monday.

On Wall Street, stocks showed a strong move back to the upside during trading on Friday following the pullback seen over the course of the previous session. The tech-heavy Nasdaq led the way higher and reached a new record closing high along with the S&P 500.

The Nasdaq saw further upside going into the end of the day, surging 440.88 points or 1.7 percent to 26,247.08. The S&P 500 also advanced 61.82 points or 0.8 percent to 7,398.93, while the narrower Dow posted a more modest gain, inching up 12.19 points or less than a tenth of a percent to 49,609.19.

Meanwhile, the major European markets all moved to the downside on the day. While the U.K.'s FTSE 100 Index fell by 0.4 percent, the French CAC 40 Index slumped by 1.1 percent and the German DAX Index tumbled by 1.3 percent.

Crude oil prices inched higher Friday as Middle East tensions renewed between the U.S. and Iran. Iran is also delaying its response to a U.S. peace proposal, adding to the uncertainty. West Texas Intermediate crude for June delivery was up $0.36 or 0.36 percent at $95.17 per barrel.