Nikkei falls back on selling of mainstay issues

The benchmark Nikkei average dropped on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Thursday, dragged down by the weakness of heavily weighted component issues. The 225-issue Nikkei average lost 27.38 points, or 0.12 percent, to end at 22,586.87, after rising 103.77 points Wednesday. But the Topix index of all first-section issues added 12.30 points, or 0.7 percent, to 1,765.78, Declines in drugmaker Eisai Co., mobile phone carrier Softbank Group Corp., clothing retailer Fast Retailing Co. and industrial robot manufacturer Fanuc Corp. pushed down the Nikkei by over 100 points. But investor sentiment improved in the Tokyo market, with concerns over U.S.-Europe trade friction easing to some extent following reports of some positive results from the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Wednesday, brokers said.