The Nikkei Stock Average extended its decline on the Tokyo stock market on the 9th, closing 126 yen lower at 65,142 after briefly rising more than 500 yen to the 65,700 level. Trading value on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market was approximately ¥9.23 trillion, or about $60.1 billion. Decliners outnumbered advancers, and afternoon selling pushed the index back into negative territory, although losses eased near the psychologically important 65,000 mark. Wire and cable stocks gained after a sharp rise in Corning shares, while Fujikura, Sumitomo Electric and Furukawa Electric advanced. SoftBank Group rose more than 3% for a fifth straight session, and construction, energy and selected mining stocks also strengthened. Semiconductor, gaming, software, brokerage and retail shares generally weakened. Kyowa Kirin dropped more than 5% after clinical trial results disappointed investors, while Saikaya reached its daily limit up after announcing capital policy measures and shareholder initiatives despite breaching the Standard Market's listing maintenance criteria. Japanese equities may remain directionless as investors await next week's central-bank events in Japan and the U.S., with concerns about long-term interest rates and currency movements limiting buying. U.S. stocks are also expected to remain cautious ahead of Friday's release of the August Consumer Price Index (CPI), a broad measure of consumer inflation. The Nikkei's intraday low was 65,017, so it held above 65,000; whether that level continues to provide support is the key focus.