As of the close on the 17th, the number of rising and falling stocks in the Nikkei average components was 71 stocks up, 153 stocks down, and 1 stock unchanged.

The US stock market on the 16th showed mixed results. The Dow average fell by 110.58 dollars to 43,717.48 dollars, while the Nasdaq closed up by 247.17 points at 20,173.89. Following expectations of an additional interest rate cut at the upcoming Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting midweek, the market opened with slight gains. The December services PMI was at a nearly three-year high, suggesting an acceleration in growth, which was positively received and led to an increase in the gains, although the Dow average remained heavy with continued declines, ending slightly lower. In contrast, the Nasdaq, driven by gains in Apple, Google’s parent company Alphabet, and semiconductors Broadcom, showed solid performance, refreshing its all-time high.

Based on the all-time high of the Nasdaq, the Tokyo market started with strong buying, especially in technology stocks. SOFTBANK GROUP CO President Masayoshi Son met with the next U.S. President Trump and announced a 15 trillion yen investment in the USA, leading to a rise in SOFTBANK GROUP stocks. The Nikkei average temporarily rose to 39,796.22 yen, becoming a driving force behind the index, but aggressive buying did not continue ahead of the Japan-U.S. central bank meetings. After the buying wave, the Nikkei average ended lower compared to the previous day, affected by a significant drop in ADVANTEST stocks, which have a substantial index impact.

The Nikkei average at the close was 39,364.68 yen, down 92.81 yen (-0.24%) from the previous day. The trading volume on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Main Board was 1.8 billion shares, and the trading value was 4 trillion 302.6 billion yen. By sector, Securities and Commodity Futures, Petroleum and Coal Products, Insurance, Nonferrous Metals, and Banks fell, while Other Products, Information and Communications, Precision Instruments, Retail, and Land Transportation rose. The percentage of rising stocks on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Main Board was 33%, while the percentage of falling stocks was 62%.

The largest contributor to the decline was ADVANTEST <6857>, which pushed the Nikkei average down by about 235 yen with 1 stock. The second largest contributor was Recruit HD <6098>, followed by Denso <6902>, Tokio Marine <8766>, Fujikura <5803>, Otsuka HD <4578>, and Fujifilm <4901>.

On the other hand, the largest contributor to the rise was SoftBank Group <9984>, which lifted the Nikkei average by about 82 yen with 1 stock. The second largest contributor was Fast Retailing <9983>, followed by Chugai Pharmaceutical <4519>, Tokyo Electron <8035>, TDK <6762>, NINTENDO CO LTD <7974>, and Sony Group Corp <6758>.

*As of 15:00

Nikkei Stock Average 39364.68 (-92.81)

Number of rising stocks 71 (Contribution +294.97)

Number of falling stocks 153 (Contribution -387.78)

Number of Unchanged Stocks 1

○ Top rising stocks

Code Stock Name Recent Price Change from Previous Day Contribution

○ Top declining stocks

Code Stock Name Recent Price Change from Previous Day Contribution