to see how stocks are rmpl performing here in japan we cross over to ramin mellegard who is at the tokyo stock exchange. ramin how are stocks trading this wednesday morning? >> reporter: very good morning to you ai. a bit of a positive start here. both the nikkei and the topix trading higher, one point shy are breaking 9,600 on the nikkei, just below that. a positive start nevertheless. you mentioned u.s. retail sales fell but the figures were a little bit better than most analysts had expected. we also had data out of china yesterday with a consumer price index as well, industrial production which helped boost overall market sentiment, and that was following some recent data out of the u.s. which pointed to a faltering u.s. economy so a bit of a positive twist that we're seeing unraveling in the markets today. now most eyes are still going to be an economic data this week, we still have crucial housing data as well as the weekly jobless claims data out of the u.s., so we're still not out of the woods yet as far as market indicators go. now turning to currency markets, the reaction was p

let's cross over to ramin mellegard at the tokyo stock exchange. ramin, good morning. how are stocks trading this tuesday? >> reporter: good morning to you, ai. the nikkei enthe topix kicked off in the negative but both are now in the positive. just barely but a little bit of a mixed opening there. you mentioned the dow just ended just a shade in the positive at one point, broke above 12,000, have to add though that the nasdaq ended in the negative, so again a bit of a mixed session for the u.s. as well. overall market sentiment looks to be dampened by continuing concerns about the recovery in the u.s. economy as well as the downgrading to junk level of greece's bonds by standard&poor's yesterday that you just mentioned, leaves the u.s. federal reserve and european central bank on the back foot if you consider the fed is about to stop its current round of easing by the end of this month and the european central bank is still set to raise rates perhaps in july. moving on to the currency markets and how that's affecting the dollar/yen and euro/yen staying in a tight rang

to see how tokyo stocks are doing, let's cross over to ramin mellegard who is at the tokyo stock exchange. hi there, ramin. what kind of action are you seeing this thursday morning? >> reporter: very good morning to you ai, and as you see there, the nikkei and the topix extending losses. the nikkei was down almost 100 points just when the marts kicked off, and that follows the concerns overseas. we did see quite a move across equities, bonds and currency markets on the back of concerns over greece's pending debt restructures plans as well as the manufacturing data for the new york region that you mentioned as well. now the reaction in currencies was pretty clear-cut with the euro losing out against a basket of currencies on the back of those debt concerns, it fell around 2% against the dollar, and is currently trading around 114 against the yen, compared to 116 earlier in the week, showing the yen's strength there. we have to mention crude oil as well, which fell on the back of the rising dollar as well as the drop in the u.s. manufacturing data, as well as the greece debt concerns, so oi

to see how stocks are performing here in jawan we cross over to ramin mellegard who is at the tokyo stock exchange so ramin, how are stocks trading this friday morning? >> reporter: good morning to you, ai. both the nikkei and the topix actually in the positive this friday morning, following on from the gains that we saw for the dow and the s&p 500. a little bit of good news out of the u.s. we had a drop in the weekly jobless claims and as you mentioned there, a rise in housing starts, so a little bit of positive slant there, which helped the dow and the s&p 500, and end in the positive. we saw tech shares selling weighing on the nasdaq so the nasdaq ended just in the neglecttive. there was also a ripple of good news going through the market, the imf sees a positive resolution to greece's debt problems. nevertheless, the persistent problems surrounding greece continues to play into the markets with a contagion fear of it affecting other eurozone economies and that may keep investors a little bit cautious according to analysts. >>> here in japan we'll keep track of exporters as well as com

back to you in the studio >> thanks a lot, ramin, that was market reporter ramin mellegard at the tokyo stock exchange. >>> as many countries seek ways to exit from nuclear power generation as a result of the accident at japan's fukushima daiichi plant, an energy watch dog says global demand for natural gas will jump more than 60% by 2035. the international energy agency forecasts global demand for energy to rise by 37% from the 2008 level by 2035. the demand for natural gas in particular is estimated to rise by 63%. demand for natural gas will exceed that of coal by 2030, becoming the second largest energy source after oil by 2035, natural gas will account for more than a quarter of global energy demands. the iaea says the boom in demand for natural gas is spurred by its relatively low price and a sharp increase in unconventional gas production such as that of shale gas. another factor behind the decline in nuclear power generation in some countries such as germany results from safety concerns. this comes after the march accident at a plant in fukushima raised many questions about nucl

that was our market reporter ramin mellegard from the tokyo stock exchange. >>> the government will setp a new panel to determine key issues when it reviews the country's energy policy following the accident at the fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. the decision came at a meeting of the government's new growth strategy panel on tuesday. those who attended included prime minister naoto kan, cabinet ministers t the bank of japan governor and the head of japan chamber of commerce and industry. in reviewing the current energy policy the leaders agreed to prioritize talks on how to promote energy saving and renewable energy sources such as solar power. up until now the policy placed significance on the use of nuclear power. participants also agreed on how to include safety of nuclear power generation based on the probe of the accident at the fukushima plant. possible revisions in the nation's power supply system including how to separate utility's energy generation and transmission units will also be explored. the leaders agreed that a new panel to help pinpoint the main issues at a meet

to see how to see how stocks are performing this friday in japan we cross over to ramin mellegard at the tokyo stock exchange. ramin, how are things kicking >> good morning to >> good morning to you, ai. having a look at the markets, starting off in the positive and markets really look to be set up for the u.s. jobs numbers and global stock markets will be focused on that. the nikkei and the topix both in the passive, just barely, not a major move but in the positive nevertheless. now domestically japanese markets are also digesting the news of prime minister naoto kan having survived a no confidence vote yesterday and announcing his indication that he will step down once the recovery of the country takes hold. now the political uncertainties that follow may be of concern to markets especially as just this week, we learned that moody's investor service put japan's debt rating on review for downgrade, citing exactly the political uncertainties as one of its major reasons. still, a lot of analysts that we've spoken to this week do say that economic indicators will also be a major focus

that was our market reporter ramin mellegard at the tokyo stock exchange. new car sales in china dropped by nearly 4% in may compared with a year ago. it marks a second straight month of declines. the china association of automobile manufacturers said on thursday that new auto sales came to just above 1.3 million units. that's down about 4% from a year earlier an was the second monthly decline in a row. in april, sales mark their first drop in over two years when a modest fall of 0.2% was posted. the decline comes after government subsidies for new car purchases introduced in response to the global financial crisis came to an end. the move by beijing to limit the number of new cars to cope with traffic congestion and air pollution also damped demand. another factor is the ongoing difficulties that japanese makers face in getting parts. sales by toyota motor and honda motor declined by over 30%. now, china was the world's biggest auto market for a second straight year in 2010 when over 18 million units were sold. the slowdown in the country's auto sales is f