Japanese stocks fall amid uncertainty around fresh U.S. tariffs

DeNA Co

10/12/2019 02:58

By Stanley White
    TOKYO, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Japanese shares edged lower on
Tuesday on lingering doubts about a fresh round of U.S. tariffs
on Chinese imports against the backdrop of positive commentary
from Washington and Beijing on progress in trade talks. 
    The Nikkei 225 index  .N225  fell 0.18% to 23,388.92 by 0157
GMT, with industrial and consumer discretionary sectors leading
the decliners.
    In the run-up to new tariffs on $156 billion worth of
Chinese imports on Dec. 15, both China and the United States
have made reconciliatory tones. 
    While China has said it hoped to make a trade deal as soon
as possible, U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington is
doing well in hammering out an agreement with Beijing.
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    Some traders are also focused on a U.S. Federal Reserve
meeting ending Dec. 11. The Fed is widely expected to keep
interest rates on hold, but traders will scrutinise the Fed's
statement and its economic forecasts for clues about future
policy decisions.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N28G185     
    The largest percentage losers on the index were chemicals
maker Tokuyama Corp  4043.T , down 3.5%, followed by Kansai
Electric Power Co Inc  9503.T , losing 2.73%, and Internet
services company DeNA Co Ltd  2432.T , sliding 2.46%.
    The largest percentage gainers were marine products company
Nippon Suisan Kaisha Ltd  1332.T , up 3.07%, followed by Casio
Computer Co Ltd  6952.T , gaining 2.42%, and Nippon Sheet Glass
Co Ltd  5202.T , up by 2.33%.
    There were 59 advancers on the Nikkei index against 153
decliners.
    The broader Topix  .TOPX  fell 0.11% to 1,720.48.
    The volume of shares traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's
main board  .TOPX  was 0.41 billion, compared to the average of
1.25 billion in the past 30 days.

 (Reporting by Tokyo markets team; editing by Uttaresh.V)
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