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| - Tokyo's key Nikkei index recovered earlier losses to end up 0.11 percent, as bargain-hunting purchases supported the market despite a dearth of fresh clues for trade. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index was up 24.95 points at 23,626.73 at the close, while the broader Topix index was down 0.32 percent or 5.20 points at 1,643.90. The Japanese market started with losses as investors were disheartened by falls on Wall Street, but some started to buy cheap shares in later trade, with "gains in US futures working as a catalyst", Okasan Online Securities chief strategist Yoshihiro Ito said in a commentary. However, "there are no fresh clues to buy actively," said Daiwa Securities chief strategist Shuji Hosoi, noting sectors sensitive to business cycles were particularly lower. The dollar fetched 105.47 yen in Asian trade, against 105.45 yen in New York late Tuesday. Among major shares in Tokyo, Uniqlo casual wear operator Fast Retailing ended up 1.26 percent at 69,650 yen and investment giant SoftBank Group was up 1.52 percent at 7,165 yen. Nippon Steel dipped 3.82 percent to 1,045.5 yen after a report said it would sell two plants to US firm Cleveland Cliffs. Its smaller rival Kobe Steel was down 3.70 percent at 417 yen. Airlines were among losers, with ANA Holdings diving 4.59 percent to 2,388 yen and Japan Airlines ending down 4.43 percent to 1,997 yen, on the backdrop of spiking Covid-19 infections and the reimposition of some lockdowns around the world. kh/kaf/je
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