Japanese Market Significantly Higher

(RTTNews) - The Japanese stock market is significantly higher on Monday, recouping some of the losses in the previous two sessions, with the Nikkei 225 moving above the 27,100 level, tracking the broadly positive cues from Wall Street on Friday, with gains across most sectors, led by technology stocks.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 Index is up 250.56 or 0.93 percent at 27,141.14, after touching a high of 27,308.97 earlier. Japanese shares ended modestly lower on Friday.

Market heavyweight SoftBank Group is gaining more than 3 percent, while Uniqlo operator Fast Retailing is edging down 0.3 percent. Among automakers, Honda and Toyota are gaining almost 1 percent each.

In the tech space, Advantest is gaining 4.5 percent, while Screen Holdings and Tokyo Electron are adding almost 4 percent each. In the banking sector, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial is gaining more than 1 percent and Mizuho Financial is edging up 0.4 percent, while Mitsubishi UFJ Financial is adding almost 2 percent.

The major exporters are strong, with Panasonic and Sony are adding almost 2 percent each, while Canon is gaining more than 1 percent and Mitsubishi Electric is edging up 0.1 percent. Among the other major gainers, Nidec is surging more than 5 percent and Sumitomo Metal Mining is gaining almost 5 percent, while SMC, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Showa Denko K.K., Recruit Holdings and Nippon Yusen K.K. are adding almost 4 percent each. Shin-Etsu Chemical, Fuji Electric, Japan Steel Works are advancing more than 3 percent each.

Conversely, Takashimaya is losing almost 4 percent, while Isetan Mitsukoshi and J. Front Retailing are declining almost 3 percent each.

In economic news, the manufacturing sector in Japan continued to expand in October, albeit at a slower pace, the latest survey from Jibun Bank revealed on Monday with a manufacturing PMI score of 50.7. That's down from 50.8 in September, although it remains above the boom-or-bust line of 50 that separates expansion from contraction. The survey also showed that the services PMI improved to 53.0 from 52.2, while the composite also rose to 51.7 - up from 51.0 in September.

In the currency market, the U.S. dollar is trading in the higher 148 yen-range on Monday.

On Wall Street, stocks saw significant volatility in early trading on Friday but moved sharply higher over the course of the session. The major averages more than offset the pullback seen over the two previous session, with the Dow reaching its best closing level in over a month.

The major averages reached new highs for the session late in the trading day. The Dow soared 748.97 points or 2.5 percent to 31,082.56, the Nasdaq surged 244.87 points or 2.3 percent to 10,859.72 and the S&P 500 spiked 86.97 points or 2.4 percent to 3,752.75.

Meanwhile, the major European markets turned in a mixed performance on the day. While the U.K.'s FTSE 100 Index rose by 0.4percent, the German DAX Index dipped by 0.3 percent and the French CAC 40 Index slid by 0.9 percent.

Crude oil prices climbed higher on Friday amid hopes demand for oil in China will see an increase soon. A likely ban on Russian oil by the European Union and a weak dollar also fueled oil's uptick. West Texas Intermediate Crude oil futures for December ended higher by $0.54 or 0.6 percent at $85.05 a barrel.