News

* Nikkei flat, broader Topix down slightly * Market in ‘correction phase’ after rally – strategist * Nintendo falls sharply after big gains in past 2 days By Hideyuki Sano TOKYO, March 20 (Reuters) – Japan’s Nikkei share average was little changed near a 15-year high early on Friday as investors took a breather after Read More

TOKYO, March 19 (Reuters) – Japan’s Nikkei benchmark dropped from 15-year highs on Thursday as investors took profits on recent gainers such as banking shares, which could suffer from a fall in Japanese bond yields. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Japanese government bond skidded to a six-week low after the U.S. Federal Reserve struck Read More

(Reuters) – Sharp Corp is cutting more than 10 percent of its Japanese workforce starting in April, according to a Nikkei report. The embattled electronics manufacturer will slash about 3,000 jobs through voluntary retirements and expects to book about 30 billion yen ($ 250.00 million) in retirement-related expenses for 2015, the business daily said. Sharp’s Read More

* Financial shares lead losses after fall in bond yields * Investors take profit after sharp gains over past month * Nintendo, DeNA soar on tie-up plan * Hopes for change in Japan firms underpin market By Hideyuki Sano TOKYO, March 19 (Reuters) – Japanese share prices slipped from 15-year highs on Thursday, as investors Read More

March 18 (Reuters) – Sharp Corp is cutting more than 10 percent of its Japanese workforce starting in April, according to a Nikkei report. The embattled electronics manufacturer will slash about 3,000 jobs through voluntary retirements and expects to book about 30 billion yen ($ 250.00 million) in retirement-related expenses for 2015, the business daily Read More

Stocks extended gains Wednesday amid spreading hope for an economic recovery, allowing the benchmark Nikkei 225 average to close above 19,500 for the first time in 14 years and 11 months. The Nikkei climbed 107.48 points, or 0.55 percent, to end at 19,544.48, its highest finish since April 14, 2000, the last day the index Read More

TOKYO, March 18 (Reuters) – Japan’s Nikkei share average rose to a fresh 15-year high on Wednesday on hopes for an economic recovery and higher shareholder returns, while Nintendo Co jumped 21 percent after it said it will enter the smartphone gaming industry. The Nikkei ended 0.6 percent higher at 19,544.48, the highest closing since Read More

* Nintendo, DeNA untraded with buy orders after tie-up news * Nintendo-related shares soar on new console hopes * FOMC result unlikely to have major long-term impact to Japan market By Ayai Tomisawa TOKYO, March 18 (Reuters) – Japan’s Nikkei share average was little changed on Wednesday, with investors reluctant to make bets before the Read More

TOKYO, March 17 (Reuters) – Japan’s Nikkei share average ended at a fresh 15-year closing high on Tuesday, with sentiment lifted by gains in U.S. and European shares and expectations that Japanese companies could improve their return on equity. The Nikkei share average closed at 19,437.00, up 1 percent, after rising as high as 19,479.89, Read More

The index had soared 118 percent since the run up to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s re-election in December 2012, sustained by the Bank of Japan’s (BOJ) massive quantitative easing program, which was launched in April 2013 and expanded in October 2014. Meanwhile, the yen fell nearly 50 percent against the U.S. dollar Read More