Euro Weakens Against Yen, Hits Japanese Stocks

The Nikkei 225 index of Japanese stocks fell nearly 1% during Friday trading. After Ireland's credit rating was cut and the euro weakened against the Japanese yen, shares of Japanese exporters took a hit. The Nikkei 225 index of Japanese stocks opened Friday trading at 10,373.70, which was above the previous trading day's close at 10,285.88. Shortly after the stock market opened, the Nikkei 225 suddenly dropped and was in negative territory for the rest of the day. The Nikkei 225 index ended the Friday trading session down 73.93 points, or 0.72%, at 10,211.95. The day's range for the Japanese stock index moved between 10,194.27 and 10,373.70. Investors who would like to invest in Japanese equities might want to consider the iShares MSCI Japan Index Fund EWJ, which uses a representative sampling strategy to try to track the MSCI Japan index. Those who are bullish on Japanese stocks should take a look at the ProShares Ultra MSCI Japan Index Fund EZJ, which seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, that correspond to twice the daily performance of the MSCI Japan Index. If you think that Japanese stocks are headed lower, consider the ProShares UltraShort MSCI Japan Fund EWV, which seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, that correspond to twice the inverse of the daily performance of the MSCI Japan index. Read more from Benzinga's ETF news.