Nikkei falls as Tokyo Electron, chip firms decline

Tokyo, Mar 8: The Nikkei average lost 0.43 percent at the start of trade on Wednesday (Mar 8, 2006), as Tokyo Electron Ltd. and other chip firms fell after a forecast from Texas Instruments Inc. disappointed investors and helped send US tech stocks lower.

The Nikkei was down 0.47 percent or 73.57 points at 15,652.45 as of 0003 GMT. The broader TOPIX index was down 0.54 percent at 1,609.10.

REUTERS