Of the Nikkei 225 stocks, Dowa Holdings led the gainers, climbing 7.32%, followed by a rise of 6.12% in Mitsubishi UFJ Nicos, 5.71% in GS Yuasa Corporation, 5.03% in Hitachi Zosen and 4.71% in Yokohama Rubber. Kajima Corporation led decliners with a loss of 7.58%. Inpex Holdings lost 5.83%, followed by NTT Docomo down 3.6% and Tokyo Dome Corp fell 3.15% respectively. Toyo Seikan slipped 2.77%.

Toshiba Corp jumped 4.2% ahead of earnings release and recent surge in nuclear reactor makers around the world.

Hino Motors close, 50% owned by Toyota, closed up 4%, after it raised its half year profit forecasts on rising demand from construction booms in Middle East and South America. Operating profit is estimated to rise 12% to 24 billion yen for the first six months ending September 30. Previously the company expected a 20% drop. Half year sales forecasts increased 9% to 66.5 billion yen.

Banks and realty groups closed higher on expectations that rate may be lowered in the U.S. after the October Federal Reserve meeting. Traders are expecting that interest rate may be lowered by 0.25%. The sentiment helped financial stocks to recover. Sumitomo Mitsui jumped 2.6%, Mizuho added 1.1%, and Sumitomo Realty increased 2.4%. Credit card processing service provider Aeon Credit Service soared 8.9%.

Retailers were in focus today after the news that Yamada Denki agreed to acquire Kimuraya Select and also raised its holding in Best Denki. Market has been expecting a consolidation in the industry.

5:30AM New York, 5:30PM Sydney – Sydney stocks consolidated after a record close. BHP Billiton revised its projection of god find.

In Sydney trading ASX 200 Index lost 1.6 or 0.02% to 6,481.40. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index traded intra-day record high riding on the increases in metals prices. The concerns on possibilities of demand for metal weakening had been heightened by a strong run-up on the resource market.

The world's largest miner, BHP Billiton Ltd, which indicated early this week that it had discovered the biggest gold find, announced that it had revised upwards by 75% its estimates of copper, gold and uranium resources at Australia's Olympic Dam mine. It further indicated that metal prices are likely to remain high. The amount of metal that could be profitably mined was pegged at 6.7% with a possibility of upward revision if the company decides to go two kilometers below the surface.

An expansion of the mine is considered in order to satisfy China's growing demand for raw materials. Chinese economy grew at 11.9% in the second quarter.

Indications were that BHP could double its copper production and increase its uranium production capacity by three months. The Mining giant indicated that it estimates that Olympic Dam copper production of 182,500 tons, gold at 91,700 ounces, 814,000 ounces for silver, and 3,486 tons of uranium during the fiscal year 2007.

The Australian dollar climbed traded at $0.8726 from $0.8618.

Of the ASX 200 index shares, Murchison Metals led the gainers with a rise of 6.26% followed by increases in Newcrest Mining of 4.14%, in Fotescue Metals of 3.97% in Lihir Gold Ltd and Pan Australian Resources Ltd up 3.97% and 3.80% respectively. Of the index stocks Futuris Corp Ltd led the decliners with a fall of 3.11% followed by declines in BHP Billiton of 3.23%, in Ramsay Health of 3.42%, in Aquarius Platinum of 3.56%, in Nufarm Ltd of 7.11%.