Investing.com – Japan equities were lower at the close on Wednesday, as losses in the Financial Services, Non-Metal Minerals and Insurance sectors propelled shares lower.
At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 lost 3.14% to hit a new 1-month low.
The biggest gainers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Sumitomo Osaka Cement Co., Ltd. (TOKYO:5232), which rose 1.59% or 7.0 points to trade at 448.0 at the close. Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. (TOKYO:4568) fell 0.08% or 2.0 points to end at 2385.0 and Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd. (TOKYO:2502) was down 0.56% or 21.0 points to 3730.5 in late trade.
Biggest losers included Itochu Corp. (TOKYO:8001), which lost 9.24% or 143.0 points to trade at 1404.0 in late trade. TOTO Ltd. (TOKYO:5332) declined 7.57% or 159.0 points to end at 1942.0 and Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (TOKYO:4183) shed 7.30% or 34.0 points to 432.0.
Declining stocks outnumbered rising ones by 1833 to 49 on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
The Nikkei Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, was up 29.67% to 24.30 a new 3-month high.
In commodities trading, Crude oil for August delivery was down 1.19% or 0.62 to $51.70 a barrel. Meanwhile, Brent oil for delivery in August fell 1.14% or 0.65 to hit $56.20 a barrel, while the August Gold contract fell 0.51% or 5.90 to trade at $1146.70 a troy ounce.
USD/JPY was down 0.55% to 121.87, while EUR/JPY fell 0.53% to 134.23.
The US Dollar Index was down 0.07% at 96.81.