Nikkei Advances 1.2%on Earnings and Wage Gains Expectations

Hiruki Nakamura
07 Apr, 2015
New York City

Nikkei in Tokyo advanced 1.2% and Japanese companies are expected to offer summer bonus of 2.1%. Energy sector stocks gained after crude oil futures rose 5% after Saudi Arabia lifted prices for Asian delivery. AIT Corp, the parcel and delivery company said annual net income increased 13.5%.

[R]4:30 PM Tokyo – Nikkei in Tokyo advanced 1.2% and Japanese companies are expected to offer summer bonus of 2.1%. Energy sector stocks gained after crude oil futures rose 5% after Saudi Arabia lifted prices for Asian delivery. AIT Corp, the parcel and delivery company said annual net income increased 13.5%.[/R]

Stocks in Tokyo closed higher and energy sector led the gainers after oil price jumped 5%.

Crude oil future soared 5% after Saudi Arabia controlled Aramco increased oil delivery price for Asian customers on the rising demand in the region.

Inpex Corp gained 4% and Japan Petroleum Exploration advanced 4.2%.

Broader market indexes advanced after New York Fed President William Dudley said when rates begin to rise, the increase is likely to be slow and gradual.

The statement from Dudley carried weight with traders in Tokyo because the statement was the first from the member of the policy making committee indicating the possible Fed’s move.

Domestically, spring wage negotiations across Japan are indicating rising trend started with the announcement from Toyota.

The brokerage firm Nomura indicated bonuses in summer season are likely to increase 2.1%.

The Nikkei 225 Stock Average climbed 242.56 or 1.3% to 19,640.54 and the broader Topix index jumped 17.84 or 1.1% to 1,578.55.

The yen closed at 119.89 against a dollar.

Stocks in Review

AIT Corporation declined 4.6% to 1,212 yen after the cargo delivery services provider reported net sales in the year ending in February soared 14.7% to 21.94 billion yen from 19.13 billion yen in a year ago period.

Net income in the year surged 13.5% to 1.03 billion yen compared to 903 million yen and earnings per share jumped to 53.68 yen from 47.29 yen in the same period a year ago.

The company forecasted revenues in the first-half to climb 11.5% to 24.47 billion yen and net income to increase 10.1% to 1.13 billion yen.

Dentsu Inc gained 1.1% to 5,450 yen after the advertising and marketing services provider said total sales in March surged 102.5% to 182.64 billion yen jumped 2.5% to 182.64 billion yen from a year ago month.

The company added revenues in the month from marketing segment climbed 6.6% to 26.85 billion yen but revenues from television segment declined 5% to 65.52 billion yen and revenues from newspaper business plunged 17% to 12.69 billion yen.

NPC Inc climbed 2.8% to 259 yen after the photovoltaic equipment maker said revenues in the first-half ending in February declined 13.2% to 6.30 billion yen from 7.26 billion yen in a year ago period.

Net in the period swung to profit 523 million yen compared to a loss of 160 million yen and earnings per share swung to 23.74 yen from a loss per share of 7.26 yen in the same period a year ago.

Sony Corp rose 0.2% to 3,490 yen and the electronic products maker said it plans to invest 45 billion yen this year to expand capacity at its Nagasaki and Yamagata TEC for chips used in camera sensors.

Sony forecasted sales in the year ending in March 2018 for sensors, camera modules and memory storage business to be as large as 1.5 trillion yen and operating profit of about 500 billion yen.