[Nikkei Stock Average and TOPIX (Table)]

Nikkei average; 36,363.63; +160.41

TOPIX; 2,559.62; +3.86

Summary of the start of the afternoon session

The afternoon Nikkei average started with a slight decrease from the morning closing price (36,461.44 yen) at 36,363.63 yen, with a smaller increase. During lunchtime, the Nikkei 225 futures traded weakly within the range of 36,080-36,210 yen. The dollar-yen exchange rate remained at around 1 dollar = 141.30-40 yen, with a slight strengthening of the yen and weakening of the dollar from around 9 am. The Asian market was generally stable with the Shanghai Composite Index staying near the previous day's closing price. The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong was closed.

The afternoon Tokyo market started with a slight selling pressure compared to the morning session. The yen's slight appreciation and the dollar's weakness in the foreign exchange market seem to be weighing on stock prices. On the other hand, the Dow Jones futures trading steadily during extended hours trading is supporting the Tokyo market's stock prices.

In terms of sectors, transportation equipment, rubber products, and oil & coal products are among the top gainers, while land transportation, air transportation, and pharmaceuticals are among the top decliners.

In the top trading value on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market, SHIFT<3697>, Kasumigaseki Capital<3498>, Toyota<7203>, Mercari<4385>, First Retailing<9983>, Disco<6146>, Screen HD<7735>, Honda<7267>, Nissan Motor<7201>, and Kawasaki Kisen<9107> are performing well. On the other hand, Seibu Holdings<9024>, Sakura<3778>, IHI<7013>, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries<7011>, Fujitsu<6702>, Daiichi Sankyo<4568>, Renesas<6723>, Mitsubishi Shokuhin<8058>, Fujikura<5803>, and SoftBank<9434> are declining.