LEAD: Japanese shares mixed on profit-taking, yen's retreat

Feb 9, 2012, 8:24 GMT

Tokyo - Japanese stocks ended mixed Thursday as investors sold shares to lock in immediate profits and the yen fell against the euro.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average lost 13.35 points, or 0.15 per cent, to end at 9,002.24 after rising 1.1 per cent Wednesday.

The Topix was up 2.15 points, or 0.27 per cent, at 784.49.

Some exporters, such as Canon Inc and Sony Corp, rose in the afternoon as the euro started to climb against the yen. A weaker yen makes Japanese goods less expensive abroad and improves repatriated earnings.

Canon gained 0.44 per cent, and Sony edged up 0.13 per cent.

Japan's key machinery orders dropped a seasonally adjusted 7.1 per cent in December from the previous month to 733.2 billion yen (9.52 billion dollars), the government said Thursday.

The decrease, which exceeded the prediction of a 4.7-per-cent fall by the business daily Nikkei, followed a 14.8-per-cent rise in November.

On currency markets at 3 pm (0600 GMT), the dollar traded at 77.16-18 yen, up from Wednesday's 5 pm quote of 77.06-07 yen.

The euro was quoted at 102.45-46 yen, up from 102.24-28 yen late Wednesday, and at 1.3275-3276 dollars, up from 1.3268-3269 dollars.