Topix Index: Points and Market Gauge

topix index: On Friday, the key market gauge gained 177.22 points, according to The Japan Times. The Topix index of all first-section issues finished down 19.53 points, or 1.26 percent, at 1,524.39, after rising 13.51 points the previous trading day. The 225-issue Nikkei average tumbled 276.94 points, or 1.44 percent, to end at 18,985.59, closing below the 19,000 threshold for the first time since Feb. 9. Stocks met with hefty selling from the outset of Monday's trading, in the wake of the dollar plunging against the yen after the Trump administration effectively gave up its attempt to repeal Obamacare, the health care act signed by previous U.S. President Barack Obama, and replace it with a new law, brokers said. The dollar's drop below 110.50 pushed investors to sell their shares, said Masahiro Ichikawa, senior strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Asset Management Co.'s Economic Research Department. Trump's major defeat in Congress has raised questions about the fate of fiscal and economic stimulus measures including tax reform Trump has vowed to implement, they said. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.