Tokyo stocks opened lower Thursday after shares on Wall Street eased overnight ahead of the release of US inflation data.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index inched down 0.04 percent, or 10.39 points, to 26,386.44 in early trade, while the broader Topix index slipped 0.21 percent, or 3.95 points, to 1,865.05 All eyes are on the US Consumer Price Index data, to be released later in the day, with global investors broadly sticking to the sidelines in the meantime. Wall Street closed slightly lower — the Dow and the Nasdaq both gave up 0.1 percent — as investors awaited the figures.
The Tokyo market is expected to stay in a narrow range in the morning after US markets edged down slightly,” brokerage Monex said, adding that “a wait-and-see attitude is likely to dominate the day ahead of the US CPI”. Markets are more likely to move after the data is released, said Ray Attrill of National Australia Bank.
“US September CPI data looms large and should have major bearing on rates, risk sentiment and forex between their release and the weekend,” he said.— AFP
