The Nikkei Index Recovers Its Losses

Japan’s Nikkei stock index recovered most of its morning losses to close almost flat on Friday as investors avoided big bets ahead of a major US jobs report and a three-day holiday in Japan.

The Nikkei index ended trading down 0.03 percent to 28,478.56 points. The broader Topix index fell 0.07 percent. The Nikkei index fell by one percent during the week after four consecutive weeks of gains, while the Topix rose by about 0.2 percent in its fifth straight weekly rise.

Semiconductor stocks caused both indices to fall, with Advantest falling 0.65 percent and Tokyo Electron down 0.14 percent.

Energy stocks rose, supported by the rise in oil prices.

SoftBank Group was the biggest gainer on the Nikkei index, rising 2.18 percent.