Trend-spotting: Tokyo Stocks and the New Government

Acute analysis by market players indicate that Tokyo stocks have been fluctuating since the inauguration of the new Government led by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. On Aug. 26, just before the House of Representatives election, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average closed at a 2009 high of 10,639 points. But after the Hatoyama administration's Sept. 16 launch, the Nikkei stock index closed below 10,000 on Oct. 1, and plumbed the 9,600 level on Oct. 5.