Nikkei turns negative on year

Japanese stocks fell on Tuesday, taking the benchmark Nikkei index into negative territory for the year to date, after soft trade data out of China added to concerns over the economic health of one of Japan's main trading partners. The Nikkei share average lost 2.4 per cent to close at 17,427.08, tipping it into negative territory for the year to date. It has fallen 15.9 per cent in the last 30 days. The broader Topix fell 2 per cent to 1,416.71, weighed down heavily by its pharmaceutical sub-index which lost 5.2 per cent. Takeda Pharmaceutical fell 3.6 per cent and Astellas Pharma shares tumbled 4.7 per cent. The Topix foods sub-index lost 3.5 per cent as defensive shares fell, with Kikkoman shedding 8.1 per cent. Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal shares gained 3.1 per cent while JFE Holdings added 1.9 per cent and Kobe Steel added 3.3 per cent. The JPX-Nikkei Index 400 fell by 2.1 per cent to 17,702.69, according to Reuters.

-Shuvo-