Japan stocks fall amid drop in manufacturers' sentiment
News On Japan via BusinessWeek -- Oct 01

Japanese stocks fell, with the Nikkei 225 (NKY) Stock Average closing at a three-week low, after a survey showed declining sentiment among the nation's biggest manufacturers and as China's factory output contracted amid a global economic slowdown that sapped export demand.

Komatsu Ltd., a construction-machinery maker that gets 14 percent of its sales in China, slid 1 percent. Nippon Shokubai Co. plunged 13 percent after a deadly fire shut output at one of the chemical maker's factories. Olympus Corp. gained 1.3 percent on Sony Corp.'s plan to invest 50 billion yen ($642 million) in the endoscope maker.

The Nikkei 225 dropped 0.8 percent to 8,796.51 as of the trading close in Tokyo, the lowest since Sept. 6. Trading volume was 15 percent below the 30-day average as markets in China, Hong Kong and South Korea were closed for a holiday. The broader Topix Index slid 0.7 percent to 732.35, with about three stocks falling for each that gained.

Source: BusinessWeek



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