TOKYO, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks ended flat in choppy trade Tuesday, as a firm yen and trade concerns continued to hamper the market.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average shed 2.34 points, or 0.01 percent, from Monday to close the day at 20,408.54.
The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, edged 0.13 point, or 0.01 percent, higher to finish at 1,499.09.
Tokyo stocks received an ember of hope from the Dow Jones Industrial Average closing marginally higher overnight, but early losses were quickly erased after the morning bell, following the yen's rise against the U.S. dollar, local brokers said.
They added that concerns the U.S. Federal Reserve may cut its interest rates amid Washington's trade offensive, which may now target Mexico, saw investors switch out of high risk assets like stocks, prior to the morning break.
Bargain hunting in the afternoon saw some equities bought back after investors deemed them oversold, which momentarily helped prop up the market, strategists here said.
"Investors who sold equities in the morning bought them back, but they didn't chase higher ground," Yutaka Miura, senior technical analyst at Mizuho Securities Co., was quoted as saying.
But a wait-and-see mood ensured investors didn't chase the market higher as they awaited further cues, particularly regarding possible further moves by the U.S. to target other countries with tariffs.
"Many investors have been in a wait-and-see mood as they are concerned that the United States may impose tariffs on more countries to settle political issues," Makoto Sengoku, market analyst at the Tokai Tokyo Research Institute., said.
Exporters felt the weight of the yen's strength, with Toshiba losing 1.0 percent, while Sony dropped 1.6 percent by the close.
Some cyclical issues gained on bargain hunting, however, with Screen Holdings climbing 3.6 percent and Hitachi Construction ending the day 2.9 percent higher.
By the close of play, services, and information and communication issues led notable decliners, while iron and steel, and marine transportation issues comprised those that gained the most.
Issues that rose outpaced those that fell by 1,515 to 576 on the First Section, while 50 ended the day unchanged.
On the main section on Tuesday, 1,239.31 million shares changed hands, rising from Monday's volume of 1,228.94 million shares.
The turnover on the second trading day of the week came to 2,191.3 billion yen (20.26 billion U.S. dollars).