Nikkei year-end closing to be best since 1980s

On the rise: A man wearing a protective mask stands in front of an electronic stock board showing the Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm in Tokyo. The index has rallied about 5% this year, riding on the global uptrend of stocks. — AP

TOKYO: The Nikkei share average eased back yesterday, the final trading day of 2021, but remained on course to mark its highest close for any year since the bubble era of the 1980s.

The benchmark slipped 0.07% to 28,794.24 by the midday break, with about 12 stocks declining for every one that rose in holiday-thinned trading, despite the tailwind from a record-high Wall Street close overnight.