Japan stocks lower at close of trade; Nikkei 225 down 1.87%

Japan stocks experienced a decline at the close of trade on Friday, with the Nikkei 225 index falling by 1.87%. The losses were primarily driven by negative performances in the Paper & Pulp, Transport, and Communication sectors. Among the top gainers, LY Corp surged 3.44% to 544.40 points, while Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha and Dai-ichi Life Holdings Inc each added 2.94% and 2.73% respectively.

Conversely, Resonac Holdings Corp saw the biggest decline, falling 10.68% to 14,295.00 points. Kioxia Holdings Corp and Toppan Printing Co. also experienced significant drops of 6.99% and 6.95% respectively. The number of stocks that fell exceeded those that rose by a margin of 2436 to 1048, with 246 stocks remaining unchanged. The Nikkei Volatility, which gauges the expected volatility of Nikkei 225 options, dropped by 3.17% to 30.55.

Commodity prices were also influenced by oil and gold prices, with crude oil for October delivery sinking 1.45% to $100.99 a barrel and Brent oil for November delivery declining 1.65% to $105.85 a barrel. Gold futures, meanwhile, fell by 0.31% to $4,393.80 per troy ounce. The USD/JPY exchange rate dipped by 0.16% to 154.18, and the EUR/JPY rate fell by 0.18% to 179.01. The US Dollar Index Futures remained unchanged at 99.05.