Points: Percent and Benchmark Index

points: But from Friday, the Nikkei plunged 181.10 points, or 0.76 percent, and the Topix sank 11.82 point, or 0.68 percent, according to The Japan Times. Stocks went south from the opening bell, weighed down by the yen's strengthening against the dollar. The benchmark index ended at 23,656.62, up 3,641.85 points, or 18.20 percent, from the 2018 closing. ; The Topix, which covers all first-section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, jumped 227.27 points, or 15.21 percent, to wrap up 2019 trading at 1,721.36. Issues in the semiconductor and machinery sectors, in particular, met with heavy selling following a drop in the U.S. SOX Philadelphia semiconductor index on Friday. Trading was thin throughout the day as there were not many participants, said Tomoaki Fujii, head of the investment research division at Akatsuki Securities Inc. The market also faced growing profit-taking and position-squaring pressures before the start of the six-day holiday, brokers said. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.