Market: Points and Market Gauge

market: The market got off to a weak start, weighed down by profit-taking, as well as by selling on a halt in the yen's depreciation against the dollar and weak performance of Nikkei futures, according to The Japan Times. But the market's downside was limited, as worry about an escalation of the U.S.-China trade war receded after Washington and Beijing reached their phase one deal Friday and refrained from slapping fresh tariffs on each other's goods Sunday, brokers said. The Nikkei 225 average dropped 70.75 points, or 0.29 percent, to end at 23,952.35, On Friday, the key market gauge rocketed 598.29 points. ; The Topix, which covers all first-section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, was down 3.11 points, or 0.18 percent, at 1,736.87 after climbing 27.15 points Friday. The Topix stayed in positive territory for most of the afternoon session, while the Nikkei showed buoyancy only briefly. Meanwhile, Yamamoto forecast that trading will become more lackluster starting this week as foreign investors begin taking Christmas holidays. Profit-taking gathered steam as a sense of achievement spread among players after the Nikkei retook the 24,000 threshold at Friday's closing, said Hirohumi Yamamoto, strategist at Toyo Securities Co. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.