[Nikkei Stock Average and TOPIX (Table)]
Nikkei Average; 38,898.05; +177.58.
TOPIX; 2,750.97; +19.19.
Summary of the start of the afternoon session
In the afternoon, the Nikkei Average started to rise from the morning's close (38,709.02 yen) and rose to 38,898.05 yen, up 177.58 yen from the previous day. During the lunchtime, the Nikkei 225 futures rose in the range of 38,710 yen to 38,930 yen. The dollar-yen exchange rate is around 157.80-90 yen per dollar and has been at a high level with a weak yen and strong dollar since around 9 AM. In terms of Asian market conditions, the Shanghai Composite Index is generally negative, down about 0.2%, while the Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong started to fall and has not yet settled directionally, down about 0.3%.
The Tokyo market in the afternoon started with buying in advance of the morning's close. Prior to the start of the afternoon session, the result of the Bank of Japan Financial Policy Board meeting was reported. The policy of reducing purchases of government bonds has been decided, but since it has shown a cautious stance on the reduction of government bonds, the foreign exchange market has swung to a weak yen and strong dollar direction, and stock price index futures have risen. The spot Nikkei Average also started to rise in the afternoon. On the other hand, some investors are cautious about actively buying, as they want to assess Governor Ueda's comments at his press conference scheduled for the evening.
In sectors, marine transportation, real estate, and electric and gas utilities were among the top gainers, while pharmaceuticals, insurance, and precision instruments fell.
In the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market, the stocks with high trading volume include Hokkaido Electric Power <9509>, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries <7011>, Kawasaki Kisen <9107>, Nippon Yusen <9101>, SoftBank Group <9984>, Nidec Corporation <6594>, Renesas Electronics <6723>, Disco <6146>, Tokyo Electric Power HD <9501>. Meanwhile, Daiichi Sankyo <4568>, HOYA <7741>, KDDI Corporation <9433>, Sony Group Corp <6758>, Seven & i Holdings <3382>, ANYCOLOR <5032>, Shin-Etsu Chemical <4063>, NTT <9432>, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group <8306>, and Chugai Pharmaceutical <4519> are falling.