TOKYO, Feb 27 ― Tokyo stocks opened lower today as investors closely watched headlines over the broadening new coronavirus outbreak.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index slipped 0.69 per cent or 153.93 points to 22,272.26 in early trade, while the broader Topix index was down 0.69 per cent or 11.07 points at 1,595.10.

“Japanese shares are swinging from joy to sorrow by turns, reacting to news headlines linked to the new coronavirus,” Okasan Online Securities strategist Yoshihiro Ito said in a commentary.

As Tokyo trade started, US President Donald Trump held a news conference about the virus, saying the US was prepared to escalate its response to the novel coronavirus on a “much larger scale” should the pathogen continue to spread.

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The dollar was under pressure in early Asian trade, fetching ¥110.31 (RM4.21) against ¥110.45 in New York late yesterday.

The falls in Tokyo came as global stocks finished mixed, somewhat stabilising after two bruising sessions on worries about the spread of the coronavirus.

But two of the three key indexes in New York ended down, as investor worries over the broadening coronavirus epidemic competed with bargain-hunting impulses.

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On Thursday, Japanese shares sensitive to economic conditions were broadly lower, with blue-chip exporters Toyota trading down 1.18 per cent at ¥7,437 and Sony down 1.86 per cent at ¥7,022.

Trading house Mitsubishi Corp. was down 1.02 per cent at ¥2,766, crude oil developer and distributor Inpex was off 2.01 per cent at ¥270.3, and Sumitomo Metal Mining was down 2.05 per cent at ¥2,818.

On Wall Street, the Dow ended down 0.5 per cent at 26,957.59. ― AFP