Japanese Stocks Fall Amid Sharp Increase in Trade Deficit

Japanese stocks fell at the end of the trading session today, after official data showed the country's exports grew less than expected last July, amid a sharp increase in the trade deficit. The Tokyo Stock Exchange reported that Japan's Nikkei 225 index ended today's session down 0.29 percent, or 111.12 points, to 37,951.80 points, while the broader Topix index fell 0.21 percent, or 5.68 points, to close at 2,664.86 points. This came after the shares of companies operating in the export sector suffered from selling pressures due to the rise in the value of the yen to the level of 144.9 to the dollar. However, the US currency rose again against its Japanese currency by 0.42 percent to 145.86 yen in the middle of the session. Source: Qatar News Agency