TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Tokyo stocks ended slightly lower Wednesday after directionless trading as many investors sat on the sidelines ahead of the Christmas holidays overseas amid a lack of new trading cues.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average fell 68.77 points, or 0.14 percent, from Tuesday to 50,344.10. The broader Topix index finished 15.88 points, or 0.46 percent, lower at 3,407.37.
On the top-tier Prime Market, the main decliners were air transportation, insurance and transportation equipment issues.
The U.S. dollar weakened to the upper 155 yen zone in Tokyo amid persisting caution over a possible intervention by Japanese monetary authorities following the yen's recent depreciation.
The Nikkei stock index stayed in positive territory throughout the morning, lifted by semiconductor issues tracking overnight gains on Wall Street, but later turned lower.
Heavyweight SoftBank Group was sold as sentiment was dampened after the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said Tuesday it will delay additional tariffs on semiconductors imported from China until June 2027.
The announcement fueled concern that the delay would give Chinese semiconductors an advantage over foreign rivals and intensify competition with some U.S. tech companies, including those in which SoftBank Group has invested, analysts said.
"With U.S. markets closing early Wednesday and shut on Thursday, trading will remain subdued. Investors are finding it difficult to make moves amid a lack of new trading incentives," said Maki Sawada, a strategist in the Investment Content Department of Nomura Securities Co.
Meanwhile, the benchmark price of gold set by Tokyo's Tanaka Precious Metal Technologies Co. hit an all-time high of 25,015 yen per gram, exceeding the 25,000 yen mark for the first time.
The rise reflected high demand for the safe-haven asset amid rising geopolitical risks as the U.S. government has been stepping up its military pressure on Venezuela over alleged involvement in drug trafficking.


Sumber : mainichi.jp