Tokyo stocks end lower amid U.S. election concerns

TOKYO, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) — Tokyo stocks closed lower on Wednesday as investors digested the Trump-Harris first presidential debate ahead of the U.S. election.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei stock index, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average, declined for the seventh straight trading day by ending down 539.39 points, or 1.49 percent, from Tuesday to close the day at 35,619.77.
The broader Topix index, meanwhile, finished 45.87 points, or 1.78 percent, lower at 2,530.67.
Market watchers here noted that intensified selling of stock index futures weighed on the market after the U.S. televised presidential debate between Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump.
The stock market downturn was also closely linked with the strengthening yen against the U.S. dollar, which led to broad selling, particularly in export-related stocks, local analysts noted.
Domestic investors in Tokyo, sensing a buying opportunity from the recent decline, stepped in to reduce the Nikkei’s losses, but their buying power remained limited.
On the top-tier Prime Market, declining issues outnumbered advancing ones by 1,523 to 105, with 14 issues remaining unchanged. ■