AlHijjah 20, 1434, October 25, 2013, SPA -- Japanese stocks plummeted on Friday as market sentiment was undermined by the yen's rise and losses on other Asian bourses, dpa reported. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average lost 398.22 points, or 2.75 per cent, to end at 14,088.19, while the broader-based Topix index was down 25.07 points, or 2.08 per cent, at 1,178.28. By mid-afternoon, China's Shanghai Composite Index had declined 1.44 per cent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index had lost 0.8 per cent. For the week, the Nikkei fell 3.25 per cent and the Topix was down 2.26 per cent. Export-linked issues were pulled down by the yen's rise against major currencies. A stronger yen makes Japanese goods more expensive overseas and erodes repatriated revenues. On currency markets at 3 pm (0600 GMT), the dollar traded at 97.11-12 yen, down from Thursday's 5 pm quote of 97.40-41 yen. The euro was quoted at 134.21-23 yen, down from 134.30-34 yen late Thursday and at 1.3820-3821 dollars, up from 1.3788-3789 dollars. -- SPA 10:23 LOCAL TIME 07:23 GMT تغريد
