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| - Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei index closed down on Friday, snapping an eight-day winning streak, following losses on Wall Street amid concerns over spiking coronavirus cases. The Nikkei 225 index fell 0.53 percent, or 135.01 points, to 25,385.87. Over the week, it rallied 4.4 percent. The broader Topix index lost 1.33 percent, or 23.01 points, to 1,703.22 but gained 2.7 percent from a week earlier. "It's natural to see investors lock in profits following recent sizable gains," said Shinichi Yamamoto, a broker at Okasan Securities in Tokyo. Investors were also depressed by declines in US shares on Thursday, Yamamoto told AFP. Concerns about spiking Covid-19 cases sent US stocks to a negative finish, overshadowing optimism from news early in the week about a potential vaccine. "But market sentiment is not so bad," Yamamoto said, adding that many investors may buy on dips next week. The dollar traded at 104.90 yen in Asian afternoon trade, against 105.10 yen in New York. In Tokyo trading, tyremaker Bridgestone dropped 5.05 percent to 3,567 yen after a French minister said on Thursday that the company turned down a French government plan to keep open a plant there. Bridgestone said in September that it would shut its factory in France, prompting the government to denounce as "brutal" the move that will cost 863 jobs. Nissan jumped 8.75 percent to 444.8 yen after it said it trimmed losses in the second quarter and upgraded its full-year forecasts as the global auto industry showed signs of recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Sony gained 1.81 percent to 9,326 yen after its PlayStation 5 hit the shelves two days after the new Xbox went on sale, with the next-generation consoles vying for holiday season dominance. si/axn
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