TOKYO, March 30 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average
finished lower on Thursday after three straight sessions of
gains, as a clutch of stocks traded ex-dividend, while losses
were limited as technology stocks tracked overnight Wall Street
strength.
The Nikkei share average fell 0.36% to close at
27,782.93 and the broader Topix lost 0.61% to 1,983.32.
"Overall, the market was affected by the shares that went
ex-dividend, but it was weaker than expected, given overnight
strength of Wall Street," said Yugo Tsuboi, a senior strategist
at Daiwa Securities.
Investor concerns about U.S. rate hikes have resurfaced as
fears of a possible financial crisis eased, he said, adding that
expectations were rising that the Bank of Japan would tweak it
policy.
U.S. stocks rallied overnight, with all three major indexes
rising at least 1%, as upbeat outlooks from Micron Technology
and other companies eased some worries about the health of the
economy.
All but five of the Tokyo Stock Exchange's 33 industry
sub-indexes fell, with oil refiners leading the
losses with a 2.89% drop.
Heavyweight SoftBank Group fell 2.04% to become the
biggest drag on the Nikkei, after jumping more than 6% in the
previous session.
Bucking the trend, game maker Sony Group rose 2.09%
and lens maker Hoya gained 1.14%.
Tyre makers were the top gainers among the TSE's
industry groups with a 0.9% rise.
(Reporting by Junko Fujita; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)
