Tokyo stocks close mixed amid weak auto shares

TOKYO, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) — Tokyo stocks ended mixed on Friday amid the selling of auto issues.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei stock index, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average, ended up 118.96 points, or 0.30 percent, from Thursday at 39,500.37.
The broader Topix index, meanwhile, finished 0.93 point, or 0.03 percent, lower at 2,742.15.
The U.S. dollar dropped slightly to the upper 152 yen range in Tokyo after Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato said the authorities will take “appropriate steps to counter excessive moves” amid the yen’s recent declines.
In the stock market, technology shares tracked overnight gains by their U.S. counterparts after the U.S. Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 0.25 percentage points as widely expected on Thursday to support growth, analysts said.
But gains were limited by losses in automakers, pressured by the yen’s appreciation and Nissan Motor shares plunging 6 percent after the carmaker announced a sharp drop in profits in the April-September period and a plan to cut 9,000 jobs, they added. ■