Nikkei hits seven-year high as stocks extend win streak

By Laura He, MarketWatch

Reuters

Japan stocks gained further Thursday, while other major Asian indexes mostly declined.

HONG KONG (MarketWatch) — Japan stocks extended a three-day winning streak Thursday, with the Nikkei hitting the highest point in more than seven years.

The Nikkei Average /zigman2/quotes/210597971/delayed JP:NIK +1.92%  climbed 1.1% to close at 17,392.79, as investors looked ahead to Monday’s release of economic growth statistics, which were expected to be used by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for deciding whether to postpone a sales-tax increase planned for October next year.

Meanwhile, the broader Topix index /zigman2/quotes/210598092/delayed JP:180460 +1.16%  advanced 0.9%.

The yen /zigman2/quotes/210561789/realtime/sampled USDJPY -0.1731% slipped against the greenback, with the dollar buying ¥115.58 compared with ¥115.47 a day earlier.

On the same day, official data showed that Japanese core machinery orders rose 2.9% in September from the previous month, marking a fourth straight month of gains.

Market movers included retailer AEON Co. Ltd. /zigman2/quotes/208701491/delayed JP:8267 +1.98% , rallying 3%, its local rivals J. Front Retailing Co. Ltd. /zigman2/quotes/209287176/delayed JP:3086 -0.68% and Fast Retailing Co. Ltd. /zigman2/quotes/200663563/delayed JP:9983 +2.45% , both advancing 1.9%. Internet and telecoms conglomerate SoftBank Corp. /zigman2/quotes/207303954/delayed JP:9984 +3.28% jumped 2.9%, electronic component maker TDK Corporation /zigman2/quotes/208948266/delayed JP:6762 +3.21%  climbed 2.2%, camera maker Nikon Corp. /zigman2/quotes/203281219/delayed JP:7731 +2.81%  rose 1.6%, and auto maker Toyota Motor Corp. /zigman2/quotes/203803129/delayed JP:7203 +1.71%  improved by 1.3%.

In other Asian markets, Hong Kong stocks rose for a fourth straight session, with the Hang Seng Index /zigman2/quotes/210598030/delayed HK:HSI +1.42%  notching a mild 0.3% gain.

Over on the mainland, the Shanghai Composite Index /zigman2/quotes/210598127/delayed CN:SHCOMP -0.63%  declined 0.4%.

In Sydney, the S&P/ASX 200 /zigman2/quotes/210598100/delayed AU:XJO +0.10%  also settled 0.4% lower, while Seoul’s Kospi Composite Index /zigman2/quotes/210598069/delayed KR:180721 +0.77%  gave up 0.3%.

/zigman2/quotes/210597971/delayed

Add to watchlist JP:NIK

NIKKEI 225 Index

JP : Nikkei

23,283.46

+439.50 +1.92%

Volume: 0.00

Aug. 13, 2020 9:31a

/zigman2/quotes/210598092/delayed

Add to watchlist JP:I0000

TOPIX Index

JP : Tokyo Exchange (TOPIX)

1,624.23

+18.70 +1.16%

Volume: 0.00

Aug. 13, 2020 9:31a

/zigman2/quotes/210561789/realtime/sampled

Add to watchlist USDJPY

Japanese Yen

US : Tullett Prebon

106.7070

-0.1850 -0.1731%

Volume: 0.0000

Aug. 12, 2020 8:51p

/zigman2/quotes/208701491/delayed

Add to watchlist JP:8267

Aeon Co. Ltd.

JP : Japan: Tokyo

¥ 2,710.50

+52.50 +1.98%

Volume: 699,300

Aug. 13, 2020 9:31a

P/E Ratio

N/A

Dividend Yield

1.33%

Market Cap

¥2226.66 billion

Rev. per Employee

¥57.53M

/zigman2/quotes/209287176/delayed

Add to watchlist JP:3086

J. Front Retailing Co. Ltd.

JP : Japan: Tokyo

¥ 730.00

-5.00 -0.68%

Volume: 425,200

Aug. 13, 2020 9:31a

P/E Ratio

N/A

Dividend Yield

4.93%

Market Cap

¥186.16 billion

Rev. per Employee

¥68.57M

/zigman2/quotes/200663563/delayed

Add to watchlist JP:9983

Fast Retailing Co. Ltd.

JP : Japan: Tokyo

¥ 61,580.00

+1,470 +2.45%

Volume: 160,200

Aug. 13, 2020 9:31a

P/E Ratio

66.60

Dividend Yield

0.78%

Market Cap

¥6087.84 billion

Rev. per Employee

¥40.83M

/zigman2/quotes/207303954/delayed

Add to watchlist JP:9984

SoftBank Group Corp.

JP : Japan: Tokyo

¥ 6,395.00

+203.00 +3.28%

Volume: 5.07M

Aug. 13, 2020 9:31a

P/E Ratio

N/A

Dividend Yield

0.00%

Market Cap

¥12381.66 billion

Rev. per Employee

¥126.96M

/zigman2/quotes/208948266/delayed

Add to watchlist JP:6762

TDK Corp.

JP : Japan: Tokyo

¥ 11,560.00

+360.00 +3.21%

Volume: 211,100

Aug. 13, 2020 9:31a

P/E Ratio

26.44

Dividend Yield

1.38%

Market Cap

¥1462.81 billion

Rev. per Employee

¥13.41M

/zigman2/quotes/203281219/delayed

Add to watchlist JP:7731

Nikon Corp.

JP : Japan: Tokyo

¥ 842.00

+23.00 +2.81%

Volume: 1.64M

Aug. 13, 2020 9:31a

P/E Ratio

N/A

Dividend Yield

2.38%

Market Cap

¥297.37 billion

Rev. per Employee

¥34.15M

/zigman2/quotes/203803129/delayed

Add to watchlist JP:7203

Toyota Motor Corp.

JP : Japan: Tokyo

¥ 7,368.00

+124.00 +1.71%

Volume: 1.78M

Aug. 13, 2020 9:31a

P/E Ratio

13.49

Dividend Yield

1.09%

Market Cap

¥19991.13 billion

Rev. per Employee

¥81.43M

/zigman2/quotes/210598030/delayed

Add to watchlist HK:HSI

Hang Seng Index

HK : Hong Kong Exchange

25,244.02

+353.34 +1.42%

Volume: 1.76M

Aug. 12, 2020 4:08p

/zigman2/quotes/210598127/delayed

Add to watchlist CN:SHCOMP

Shanghai Composite Index

CN : China: Shanghai

3,319.27

-21.02 -0.63%

Volume: 37.83B

Aug. 12, 2020 3:01p

/zigman2/quotes/210598100/delayed

Add to watchlist AU:XJO

S&P/ASX 200 Benchmark Index

AU : S&P ASX

6,138.20

+6.20 +0.10%

Volume: 128,402

Aug. 13, 2020 10:31a

/zigman2/quotes/210598069/delayed

Add to watchlist KR:SEU

KOSPI Composite Index

KR : Korea Exchange

2,451.10

+18.75 +0.77%

Volume: 163,340

Aug. 13, 2020 9:31a