TOKYO, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks closed lower Wednesday for the fourth straight trading day, as weak U.S. consumer confidence data coupled with the yen's appreciation against the U.S. dollar saw investors in a circumspect mood.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average lost 27.28 points, or 0.14 percent, from Tuesday to end the day at 19,650.57.
The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, dropped 4.30 points, or 0.27 percent, to finish at 1,568.37.
The U.S. Consumer Confidence Index issued by the Conference Board stands at 117.9 in May, down from 119.4 in April and missing market consensus of 119.0.
Moreover, Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan said on Tuesday that he sees U.S. economic growth to remain near two percent and not the three percent or more forecast by the Trump administration.
Tokyo shares opened lower on Wednesday, tracking the weaker U.S. stocks overnight, while export-related issues were weighed down by the yen's firmness against the U.S. dollar.
Losses were narrowed in the trading day, as data released in the morning showed that China's manufacturing sector expanded for the 10th straight month in May and eased up market concerns.
The Chinese manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) came in at 51.2 in May, flat with April, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP).
As a series of key U.S. economic indicators are due out later in the week, including manufacturing and jobs data, a wait-and-see mood prevailed in the market, said brokers.
Trading volume on the main section on Wednesday came to 2,018.98 million shares, jumping from Tuesday's volume of 1,326.03 million shares.
The turnover on the third trading day of the week totaled 3,017.6 billion yen (27.19 billion U.S. dollars).
On the First Section, declining issues outnumbered advancers 1,282 to 622 with 112 ending the day unchanged.
Oil and coal product, bank and rubber product-related stocks comprised those that declined the most by the end of play, while insurance and chemistry issues led the gainers.
