Tokyo stocks close, ending year on down note

TOKYO: Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei index closed lower on Friday, ending the year with its first annual loss since 2012, as negative factors including US-China trade tensions weighed on the market.

The bellwether index lost 12.1 percent from a year earlier to end at 20,014.77 in roller-coaster trade, while the broader Topix index was down 17.8 percent in 2018 at 1,494.09.

On Friday alone, the Nikkei lost 0.31 percent and the Topix fell 0.50 percent as investors cashed in ahead of the New Year holidays.