Tokyo (awp / afp) – The Tokyo Stock Exchange was down Thursday morning, weighed down by the decline in shares on Wall Street the day before after the publication of a better than expected manufacturing activity index, reviving the specter of the inflation in the United States.
The flagship Nikkei index dropped 0.42% to 27,341.28 points around 01:00 GMT, and the broader Topix index lost 0.79% to 1,923.35 points.
The New York Stock Exchange turned red on Wednesday after the release of an ISM manufacturing activity index in the United States which surprised by being better than expected in May, sending bond yields higher and stocks lower. .
“Inflationary concerns could intensify in the United States with the expected release of employment data and hourly wage developments on Friday,” Okasan Online Securities said in a note.
The Japanese market could show resilience as the phase of excessive pessimism in the markets continues to fade, however estimated the brokerage house, pointing to the drop in the VIX index, known as the “fear index”. , which measures the volatility of the US market.
On the side of values
DEPARTMENT STORES IN GREAT SHAPE: Several Japanese department store chains saw their stock climb after the publication on Wednesday of very strong sales growth in May compared to the previous year, when restrictive measures were in place in Japan in the face of the pandemic.
The Takashimaya chain gained 1.23% to 1,311 yen, the manager of several J Front Retailing brands rose 0.75% to 1,069 yen, Isetan Mitsukoshi advanced 0.63% to 1,101 yen and Matsuya jumped 5.54% to 870 yen.
On the side of oil and currencies
Oil prices were blowing Thursday morning in Asia, after being stoked the day before by the prospect of a European embargo on Russian imports.
Around 00:50 GMT the price of a barrel of American WTI lost 2.91% to 111.91 dollars and that of a barrel of Brent from the North Sea dropped 2.77% to 113.07 dollars.
After falling against the dollar the day before, the yen regained some ground, with a dollar trading for 130.07 yen around 01:00 GMT against 130.13 yen on Wednesday at 21:00 GMT.
The Japanese currency stabilized against the European currency, at the rate of one euro for 138.59 yen as the day before.
The euro was worth 1.0655 dollars against 1.0650 dollars on Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. GMT.
mac/mav