TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - The Japan stock market has moved higher in back-to-back sessions, gathering almost 200 points or 0.5 percent along the way. The Nikkei 225 now rests just above the 42,800-point plateau although it may be stuck in neutral on Tuesday.
The global forecast for the Asian markets is soft, with profit-taking likely on the menu. The European markets were mixed and the U.S. bourses were down and the Asian markets are also expected to open under water.
The Nikkei finished modestly higher on Monday following gains from the financial shares, weakness from the technology stocks and a mixed picture from the automobile companies.
For the day, the index advanced 174.53 points or 0.41 percent to finish at 42,807.82 after trading between 42,681.37 and 43,201.42.
Among the actives, Nissan Motor accelerated 3.15 percent, while Mazda Motor shed 0.55 percent, Toyota Motor eased 0.10 percent, Honda Motor climbed 1.01 percent, Softbank Group soared 3.53 percent, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial dipped 0.11 percent, Mizuho Financial collected 0.79 percent, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial added 0.41 percent, Mitsubishi Electric rose 0.35 percent, Sony Group slumped 1.11 percent, Panasonic Holdings lost 0.49 percent and Hitachi fell 0.24 percent.
The lead from Wall Street is weak as the major averages opened lower on Monday and spent most of the day under water, finishing near daily lows.
The Dow stumbled 349.27 points or 0.77 percent to finish at 45,282.47, while the NASDAQ sank 47.24 points or 0.22 percent to close at 21,449.29 and the S&P 500 lost 27.59 points or 0.43 percent to end at 6,439.32.
Profit taking contributed to the initial weakness on Wall Street, as some traders looked to cash in on the strong gains posted last Friday, which lifted the Dow to a new record closing high.
The rally seen during last Friday's session came as remarks from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell seemed to indicate the central bank is likely to lower interest rates next month.
On the U.S. economic front, the Commerce Department released a repot this morning showing new home sales in the U.S. decreased from an upwardly revised level in July.
Crude oil jumped on Monday, on concerns that Western sanctions on Russian oil exports may continue longer than anticipated. West Texas Intermediate crude for October delivery was up $1.20 or 1.89 percent at $64.86 per barrel.
Closer to home, Japan will release July numbers for producer prices later this morning, with forecasts suggesting no annual change at 3.2 percent.
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