Japanese markets
Japan's Nikkei stock index fell on Friday, interrupting a four-day rally that lifted its value to a high of more than 30 years.
The Nikkei closed down 0.14 per cent to 29,520.07 points. The broader Topix index added 0.16% to 1,933.88 points. The Nikkei is up 6.71% since the start of the month.
"Investors have taken a pause waiting for quotes to consolidate after the recent sharp rise", said one expert.
Japanese stock exchanges were closed on Thursday due to a public holiday.
Shares of Citizen Watch Co Ltd, Ricoh Co Ltd and Shiseido Co Ltd led the rise, up 4.88%, 4.28% and 4.07% respectively. Tokai Carbon Co Ltd, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc and Nippon Yusen KK led the declines, losing 4.93%, 4.88% and 4.7% respectively.
Shares of Toyota Motor (T:7203) jumped 3.48%. The carmaker raised its annual profit forecast by 54% to a record $19 billion on Wednesday, following its car sales target.
Competitors, meanwhile, are down: Honda Motor (T:7267) is down 3.55% and Nissan Motor is down 3.87%.
The share price of chip makers Tokyo Electron and Sumco soared 3.67% and Advantest 3.86% after the U.S. government pledged to fight the chip shortage the day before.
Renesas Electronics shares gained 3.39% on strong reporting.
