Tokyo shares slip

Tokyo stocks eased 0.15 per cent on Monday morning after range-bound trading while investors waited for the release of fresh data slated for later in the week. The headline Nikkei index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange lost 20.92 points to 14,178.67 by the lunch break, while the Topix index of all first section shares fell 0.19 per cent, or 2.26 points, to 1,163.25. The market zigzagged between positive and negative territories in early trade but stayed in a narrow 77.25-point band, ranging between 14,234.49 and 14,157.24, according to AFP.