1st LD Writethru: Nikkei drops for 1st time in 4 days as investors opt for profits

TOKYO, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks ended mixed Wednesday, with the benchmark Nikkei stock index closing lower for the first time in four trading days as investors opted to secure gains, although losses were trimmed by a halt in the yen's rise against the U.S. dollar.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 61.79 points, or 0.26 percent, from Tuesday to close the day at 23,788.20.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, finished 2.82 points, or 0.15 percent, higher at 1,892.11.

Traders here said that there were concerns the market might be overheating as the Nikkei has risen sharply in just a matter of days.

Market strategists also noted that the central bank's trimming of long-term bond purchases in its market operation on Tuesday could be indicative of a possible change in the bank's aggressive easing policy and this brought about some investor consternation Wednesday.

But a halt in the yen's rise against the U.S. dollar served to trim losses over the day, and under-performing issues including those in the automotive and real estate sectors became attractive propositions, traders here said.

By the close of play, food and precision instrument issues led stocks that declined, while transportation equipment and real estate-linked issues comprised notable gainers.

Falling stocks outpaced rising ones by 1,007 to 969 on the First Section, with 87 ending the day unchanged.

On the main section on Wednesday, 1,592.60 million shares changed hands, dropping from Tuesday's volume of 1,663.41 million shares.

The turnover on Wednesday came to 2,793.1 billion yen (24.94 billion U.S. dollars). Enditem