INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
TOKYO: Japan's Nikkei tumbled on Tuesday with foreign investors selling off exporters and financials, while profit-taking continued on
cyclical stocks that rallied the day before.
The Nikkei share average ended 2.4 per cent lower at 22,036.05 points.
The index rose to a
two-week high on Monday as investors took heart after the United States and China suspended the imposition of new tariffs to give both sides
more time for trade negotiations.
The broader Topix also fell 2.4 per cent to 1,649.20, with all of its 33 subindexes in negative
territory.
Analysts said that the market had priced in the Sino-US trade truce and was looking to events ahead, such as US jobs data on
Friday and the Federal Reserve's policy meeting later this month.
"Even after the market priced in the trade news, there are still major
events ahead so investors realised that they can't be overjoyed yet," said Yutaka Miura, a senior technical analyst at Mizuho Securities,
adding that foreign investors and hedge funds are seen reducing their positions on risky assets.
A stronger yen also soured sentiment, with
traders citing stepped up selling by foreign investors that depressed exporters.
Fanuc Corp stumbled 5.1 per cent, Komatsu Ltd dropped 3.8
per cent and Tokyo Electron slid 2.6 per cent.
The dollar fell 0.6 per cent to 113.10 yen.
Banks and insurers, which typically accumulate
higher-yielding products such as foreign bonds in their portfolios, lost ground after the US benchmark 10-year yield slipped to 2.966 per
cent, the lowest since Sept
13.
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group dropped 2.2 per cent, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group stumbled 2.7 per cent, while Dai-ichi Life Holdings
shed 2.8 per cent.
Baby bottle maker Pigeon Corp plunged 4.2 per cent after the firm's decision to keep its full-year outlook unchanged
disappointed investors, although its net profit for the February-October period rose 17 per cent on the year to 12.2 billion yen.
Tea
beverage maker Ito En stumbled 6 per cent after its net profit for May-October dropped 5.9 per cent on the year to 8.698 billion yen, pulled
down by a special loss related to torrential rain that hit Japan in July
