1st LD Writethru: Tokyo stocks close slightly lower as investors secure profits

TOKYO, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks closed marginally lower Tuesday as investors opted to secure profits following the benchmark Nikkei stock index's three-day winning streak.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average lost 42.03 points, or 0.18 percent, from Monday to close the day at 22,960.34.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, fell 4.18 points, or 0.23 percent, lower at 1,809.57.

The yen's rise versus the U.S. dollar following an overnight decline in 10-year U.S. Treasury yields gave investors the chance to renew positions as the market's upside was capped, local market strategists said.

Many investors took to securing profits in narrow trade following the Nikkei's three-day winning streak and three-and-half month intraday high, brokers here said.

They also noted that receding concerns about global trade tensions meant that investors could take a back seat and not take up aggressive or defensive positions, but take cues from recent solid earnings from domestic companies.

By the close of play, insurance, metal product and mining-linked issues comprised those that declined the most, and falling issues beat rising ones by 1,261 to 732 on the First Section, while 90 ended the day unchanged.

On the main section on Tuesday, 1,279.64 million shares changed hands, dropping from Monday's volume of 1,293.59 million shares.

The turnover on the second trading day of the week came to 2,143.7 billion yen (19.32 billion U.S. dollars). Enditem