The Nikkei 225 began trading slightly lower, with the morning session closing at ¥65,968.71. SoftBank Group and Advantest were the two stocks weighing on the Nikkei 225, contributing a combined decline of approximately ¥235.
As of the close of the morning session on the 24th, 129 Nikkei 225 constituents had risen, 94 had fallen and 2 were unchanged, with estimated trading volume of 920.43 million shares. The Nikkei 225 ended the morning session down ¥47.65 at ¥65,968.71. Although buying to cover short positions continued at times after the open as investors monitored US market trends, the index lacked clear direction amid lower oil prices and movements in resource-related stocks.
SoftBank Group was the largest negative contributor to the Nikkei 225, weighing on the index by approximately ¥160 on its own. Advantest ranked second, weighing by approximately ¥74.82, followed by Kioxia Holdings, Fujikura and Ibiden. On the upside, Tokyo Electron was the largest positive contributor, lifting the index by approximately ¥126, followed by Sumitomo Metal Mining, Hitachi Construction Machinery and Toyota Tsusho.
According to data as of 11:30, the Nikkei 225 stood at ¥65,968.71, with 129 advancing stocks, 94 declining stocks and 2 unchanged stocks. The aggregate contribution from advancing and declining stocks is reflected as positive on the upside and negative on the downside.