Tokyo shares outlook - Lower on concerns about crude oil, global economy

TOKYO (Thomson Financial) - Japanese shares are expected to open lower on Monday due to lingering anxiety about high crude oil prices and their impact on the global economy. Investors are also likely to adopt a wait-and-see stance ahead of the G-8 summit meeting. 'Although the G-8 leaders are likely to share wariness about the rising crude oil prices, the possibility seems to be low that they will hammer out concrete measures to deal with the problem,' Mizuho Research Institute economist Koji Takeuchi said. Local players are also likely to try to assess how foreign investors behave on the Japanese market as the sustained declines of the global equity market could reduce their risk-taking abilities and prompt them to sell Japanese stocks, which have outperformed overseas markets recently. 'The release this week of economic... [read full story]