Tokyo stocks ends morning flat amid profit-taking

Tokyo stocks closed the morning session lower Monday, after briefly rising to the upper-9,700 range, amid mixed trading. The Nikkei Stock Average ended the morning at 9,751.67, down 25.36 points, or 0.26%. The gauge was supported by buying in line with the recent uptrend, while profit-taking targeting shares that have been rising recently kept a lid on the topside. The dollar briefly climbed to a nine-month high in the upper-81 yen level, but it trimmed its gains to the mid-81 yen level, keeping the benchmark index from rising further. Drugmakers, communications firms and some retailers gained ground, while trend-sensitive issues that have recently advanced, such as mining firms, marine shippers and steelmakers, were sluggish.