Japan Bourse May Add To Thursday's Gains

(RTTNews) - The Japanese stock market has finished higher in two of three trading days since the end of the three-day losing streak in which it had dropped more than 360 points or 0.9 percent. The Nikkei 225 now sits just above the 39,900-point plateau and it may see additional support on Friday.

The global forecast for the Asian markets is positive, with oil, technology and financial shares likely to lead the way higher. The European and U.S. markets were up and the Asian markets figure to follow that lead.

The Nikkei finished modestly higher on Thursday as gains from the financials and technology stocks were capped by weakness from the automobile producers.

For the day, the index jumped 237.79 points or 0.60 percent to finish at 39,901.19 after trading between 39,370.43 and 39,910.96.

Among the actives, Nissan Motor retreated 1.21 percent, while Mazda Motor tumbled 1.91 percent, Toyota Motor added 0.44 percent, Honda Motor shed 0.57 percent, Softbank Group rallied 2.34 percent, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial perked 0.08 percent, Mizuho Financial climbed 1.06 percent, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial rose 0.33 percent, Mitsubishi Electric fell 0.29 percent, Sony Group soared 2.63 percent, Panasonic Holdings advanced 0.87 percent and Hitachi improved 0.79 percent.

The lead from Wall Street is upbeat as the major averages opened solidly in the green on Thursday and extended their gains throughout the day.

The Dow jumped 229.71 points or 0.52 percent to finish at 44,484.49, while the NASDAQ rallied 155.16 points or 0.75 percent to close at a record 20,855.65 and the S&P 500 gained 33.66 points or 0.54 percent to end at 6,297.36, also a record.

The continued strength on Wall Street followed the release of a batch of upbeat U.S. economic data, including a Commerce Department report showing retail sales rebounded by much more than expected in the month of June.

A separate report from the Labor Department showed first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits unexpectedly dipped to a three-month low last month, while import prices in the U.S. inched up less than expected in June.

Crude oil prices increased on Thursday as fresh tension brewing in the Middle East generated demand, while a drop in U.S. inventories was seen as reflecting robust summer demand. West Texas Intermediate crude for August delivery surged $1.16 to settle at $67.54 per barrel.

Closer to home, Japan will see June data for national consumer prices later this morning; in May, overall inflation was up 0.3 percent on month and 3.5 percent on year, while core CPI rose an annual 3.7 percent.