Roundup: Nikkei loses 0.66 pct on U.S. growth concerns

The Nikkei stock index lost 0.66 percent Monday as investor sentiment was soured following a weak lead from Wall Street, triggered by concerns for the health of the world's largest economy following the latest growth data.

The Nikkei 225 dropped 116.35 points to end at 17,558.04, while the broader Topix of all first-section shares lost 0.45 percent, or 6.32 points, to finish the day at 1,408.75.

Brokers here said that U.S. shares came under pressure following data showing that the U.S. economy expanded at a slower rate than anticipated at the end of last year.

According to the U.S. Commerce Department, the world's biggest economy grew just 2.6 percent in the final three months of last year, a figure significantly lower than the 3.3 percent median estimate from leading economists.

For the entire year, however, gross domestic product increased 2.4 percent, marking its highest level in four years, although policy makers are eyeing a lofty 3 percent expansion for this year.

Despite the slowdown at the end of last year, Tokyo-based economists have pointed towards a number of positives for the U.S. economy, such as the job market being in the best form since the end of the 1990s and consumer confidence back up to levels not seen before the global financial crisis. The U.S. Federal Reserve ending its stimulus program and looking to rase interest rates, in addition, is a sign that the U.S. economy is on a sustainable growth track, they said.

Nevertheless, the disappointing figures for the end of last year put investors here on the defensive, amid concerns for earnings seasons here following some disappointing results, the ongoing oil glut, and, geopolitical concerns in the eurozone.

Brokers here said that investors were, from the get-go, in a risk-averse mood, and buying was cagey.

"This kind of U.S. gross domestic product reading will weigh on the stock market, which had been worried about slowing global economic growth since last year. The global economy should benefit from cheaper oil, but we're being hit with the negative effects first, and this will likely ripple in to weaker stock prices as well," Shoji Hirakawa, chief equity strategist at Okasan Securities Co., said.

In share trading, computer printer maker Seiko Epson tumbled 10 percent to 4,340 yen, after the firm said its operating profit outlook of 132 billion yen would remain, despite analysts expecting an upward revision to 136.4 billion yen. Nomura Securities Co. went on to cut its price target on the firm's stock from 5,990 yen to 5,659, owing to rising costs for printers.

Air transportation issues weighed heavily on the market Monday, with Japan Airlines Co. dropping 2.1 percent to 3,925 yen, after its full-year net-income outlook failed to impress the market and Skymark plummeted 88 percent to 19 yen, after daily price limits on the stock were removed by the exchange, which will delist the stock next month.

Skymark filed for bankruptcy protection last week after the firm bungled a deal to acquire Airbus's super-jumbos last year, crippling the company financially. Integral Corp., an equity firm, will provide the company with finances to help it restructure, however, pending the Tokyo District Court's approval.

Among other transportation issues, railway companies moved on individual earnings, with East Japan Railway advancing 2.7 percent to 9,373 yen on upbeat earnings and West Japan Railway climbing 5. 1 percent to 6,386 yen after also revising upward its annual earnings forecasts. Central Japan Railway, which operates in the Chubu region of Japan, for its part, however, lost 0.7 percent to 20,175 yen, after it maintained its outlook, missing analysts' expectations of an upwards revision.

Among financial issues, Mizuho Financial Group relinquished 0.8 percent to 192.40 yen, after the firm announced its net profit in the nine months through December had retreated seven percent compared to the same period a year earlier.

Nagano's main electric supplier Chubu Electric Power was another notable decliner Monday, falling 4.1 percent to 1,498 yen, after the utility slashed its net-income forecast by 26 percent to 28 billion yen. The latest estimate was significantly lower than the 48 billion yen expected by analysts.

But it was a bright day for Fujitsu, who surged 9.6 percent to end the day at 686 yen, after the IT equipment maker upwardly revised its profit forecast for this year to 132 billion yen, an increase of 5.6 percent.

Trading volume on Monday dropped to 2.29 billion shares on the Tokyo Exchange's First Section, down from Friday's volume of 2.67 billion shares, with declining issues trumping advancing ones by 1, 236 to 530. Endi