Japanese stocks likely to fall, tracking Wall St
TOKYO, May 12 (Reuters) -Japanese stocks are likely to drop on Monday, tracking falls on Wall Street due to record oil prices and rekindled concerns about the health of the financial sector following a massive loss by American International Group (AIG.N: Quote, Profile, Research).
Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T: Quote, Profile, Research) and other exporters are likely to be under pressure after the dollar slid against the yen.
"Investors are closely watching corporate earnings, economic data and foreign exchange this week," said Hiroichi Nishi, general mananger of equity marketing at Nikko Cordial Securities.
Japanese earnings season is well underway, with Sony Corp (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) and major banks including Mizuho Financial Group (8411.T: Quote, Profile, Research) set to announce results this week.
Economic indicators such as Japanese gross domestic product data for January-March are also due.
Market participants expect the benchmark Nikkei average to move between 13,500 and 13,700 on Monday. The index on Friday ended down 2.8 percent for the week.
Nikkei futures traded in Chicago closed at 13,635 on Friday, 25 points below their close in Osaka ----------------------MARKET SNAPSHOT @ 2247 GMT ------------
INSTRUMENT LAST PCT CHG NET CHG S&P 500 .SPX 1388.28 -0.67% -9.400 USD/JPY <JPY=> 102.95 -0.02% -0.020 10-YR US TSY YLD <US10YT=RR> 3.7786 -- 0.000 SPOT GOLD <XAU=> 883.25 -0.07% -0.650 US CRUDE CLc1 125.98 0.02% 0.020 DOW JONES .DJI 12745.88 -0.94% -120.90 ------------------------------------------------------------- > Wall St Week Ahead: Stocks on hold, with oil a hurdle [.N] > Dollar down as credit market concern rises [USD/] > Prices edge up on renewed credit concerns [US/] > Platinum ends sharply higher on ETN launch, gold up [GOL/] > Oil hits record $126 on supply worry, fund buying [O/R] STOCKS TO WATCH -- Sanyo Electric Co (6764.T: Quote, Profile, Research)
Consumer electronics maker Sanyo Electric and German carmaker Volkswagen (VOWG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) will jointly develop a lithium-ion battery to be used in hybrid and electric cars, the Nikkei financial daily reported on Sunday. [ID:nT165587]
-- Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd (4502.T: Quote, Profile, Research)
Japan's largest drugmaker said after the market close on Friday that it would buy back up to 100 billion yen worth of its own shares between May 12 and June 23.
Takeda had said during market hours on Friday that its fourth quarter operating profit fell 77 percent and it forecast a sharp fall in annual income on its $8 billion-plus purchase of Millennium Pharmaceuticals. [ID:nT181081]
-- Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp (NTT) (9432.T: Quote, Profile, Research)
NTT plans to conduct a 100-for-1 stock split to eliminate fractional shares before electronic stock certificates are introduced next year, a source familiar with the matter said on Saturday. [ID:nT196682]
The Nikkei business daily said on Monday the telecom giant's operating profit is likely to fall about 100 billion yen to about 1.15-1.2 trillion yen for the year ending in March 2009 due to the absence of one-time gains in connection with changes in pension programs booked the previous year.
-- Mizuho Financial Group Inc (8411.T: Quote, Profile, Research)
Subprime trading losses at Mizuho Financial Group exceeded 600 billion yen last business year, at least 13 percent more than what it had flagged just weeks ago, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Saturday. [ID:nT241410]
-- Konica Minolta Holdings Inc (4902.T: Quote, Profile, Research)
The office equipment maker said on Friday it expects its operating profit to be almost flat at 120 billion yen for the year ending in March 2009, below a mean forecast of 127 billion yen in a poll of 14 analysts by Reuters Estimates.
-- JVC (6792.T: Quote, Profile, Research), Kenwood Corp (6765.T: Quote, Profile, Research)
Midsize electronics makers JVC and Kenwood have agreed to integrate their businesses under a holding company in October, sources close to the matter said on Saturday. [ID:nT219244]
-- Nippon Sheet Glass (5202.T: Quote, Profile, Research), Hoya (7741.T: Quote, Profile, Research)
U.S. private equity firm The Carlyle Group [CYL.UL] will lead a 58.1 billion yen management buyout of an LCD glass venture jointly owned by Hoya Corp and Nippon Sheet Glass, Hoya said on Friday. [ID:nT230504]
-- Nissan Motor (7201.T: Quote, Profile, Research)
The head of an Israeli-backed electric car project estimated on Sunday that its partner, the Renault-Nissan alliance, would likely invest $500 million to $1 billion in the swappable-battery electric cars. [ID:nL11184832]
-- Sharp Corp (6753.T: Quote, Profile, Research)
Sharp, one of the world's biggest makers of silicon-based solar cells, is preparing for the day when cheaper but less efficient thin-film products could be its biggest sellers, an executive said on Friday. [ID:nN09488922]
-- JGC Corp (1963.T: Quote, Profile, Research)
State refiner Kuwait National Petroleum Co awarded a package worth $4 billion to build crude distillation units to a consortium of JGC and GS Engineering and Construction Corp (006360.KS: Quote, Profile, Research) of South Korea, state news agency KUNA said on Sunday. [ID:nL11258868]
-- Yamada Denki Co (9831.T: Quote, Profile, Research)
Electronics retailer Yamada Denki plans to open a store with floorspace of 5,000 to 10,000 square metres in China by 2010, marking its first foray into the Chinese market, the Nikkei business daily reported on Sunday.
-- Daikin Industries Ltd (6367.T: Quote, Profile, Research)
Air conditioner maker Daikin's group operating profit is expected to rise more than 10 percent to about 140 billion yen this financial year, boosted by strong sales of energy-efficient commercial units in China and Europe, the Nikkei business daily reported on Saturday. (Reporting by Taiga Uranaka; Editing by Chris Gallagher)
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