Nikkei Declines After Discovering Local Infections Of Omicron in Japan

The Nikkei index gave up small gains and fell on Friday, as investor sentiment was negatively affected by the news of the discovery of the first local cases of the omicron of the coronavirus in Tokyo.

The Nikkei fell 0.05 percent to close at 28,782.59 points, after rising by 0.25 percent. The index recorded a weekly increase of 0.83 percent.

The broader Topix index fell 0.13 percent to 1986.78 points, recording a weekly increase of 0.12 percent.

The airline sector index fell 0.59 percent, while the railway sector index fell 0.99 percent, after news of the discovery of four confirmed infections with the omicron mutant in the Japanese capital.

But the Nikkei’s losses were limited by a 1.2 percent increase in chip maker Tokyo Electron, a 1 percent rise in air conditioner maker Daikin Industries, and a 1.15 percent rise in media services platform M3.