Nikkei ends almost flat

Nikkei closed almost unchanged Tuesday afternoon in Tokyo as investors continually hold back from big moves. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average closed down 8.43 points, or 0.09 percent, at 9,525.32. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange dropped 2.41 points, or 0.31 percent, to 786. 07. The losers were miscellaneous products makers, glass makers and sea transport companies, while major gainers included the fishery and forestry, nonferrous metals and oil sectors. The turnover was about 878.3 billion yen (about 10.66 billion U. S. dollars).