Stocks in Tokyo ended the week lower following losses on Wall Street and lower commodity prices, according to dpa. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average index was down 34.18 points, or 0.35 per cent, to 9,770.31, while the broader-based Topix index lost 0.9 points, or 0.1 per cent, to close at 866.8. Over the week, the Nikkei lost 0.19 per cent, while the Topix was down 0.82 per cent. US stocks fell Thursday as the dollar strengthened against other currencies, and crude oil and metal prices went down. Shares of Japanese companies were also dragged down by the lower commodity prices and concerns over US consumer spending affecting Japanese exporters as the largest US retailer, Wal-Mart Stores Inc, published a cautious outlook. On currency markets at noon (0300 GMT) the dollar traded at 90.21-24 yen, up from Thursday"s 5 pm quote of 89.80-81 yen. The euro was down at 1.4857-61 dollars, from 1.4963-64 dollars the previous day and at 134.05-08 yen, down from 134.37-41 yen.
