Nikkei Falls, Options Volatility Rises as Oil Strengthens
Japanese stocks closed lower on Friday (March 13), with the Nikkei 225 down 1.40% in Tokyo. The decline was led by the paper & pulp, transportation, and communications sectors, reflecting worsening risk sentiment ahead of the weekend amid rising energy prices.
Among the best-performing stocks, Furukawa Electric rose 6.08% to 30,690, hitting a five-year high. Marubeni gained 4.02% to 5,591, while GS Yuasa gained 3.92% to 5,193. Conversely, BayCurrent Consulting fell 6.67% to 4,307, Honda fell 5.56% to 1,368, and Renesas fell 5.24% to 2,461.5.
Market breadth was negative, with 2,427 stocks declining outnumbering 1,147 stocks rising, while 221 stocks remained unchanged. The Nikkei Volatility Index rose 3.33% to 44.37, indicating increased protection premiums in the options market as equities weakened.
In commodities, WTI April rose 0.50% to US$96.21 per barrel and Brent May rose 0.79% to US$101.25, reinforcing concerns about energy cost pressures. April gold futures fell 0.62% to US$5,093.94 per troy ounce.
In the foreign exchange market, USD/JPY edged up to 159.39, while EUR/JPY fell 0.26% to 182.97. US Dollar Index futures rose 0.23% to 99.99, adding pressure to risk assets as the dollar and energy prices strengthened. (alg)
Source: Newsmaker.id
