(Bloomberg) -- Japan’s Nikkei 225 Stock Average added the Muji retail chain operator Ryohin Keikaku Co. and Nomura Research Institute Ltd., replacing Nippon Paper Industries Co. and DIC Corp.
Nippon Paper will be deleted due to its low liquidity and chemical company DIC will be cut to decrease the number of firms within its sector. The changes take effect on Oct. 1, before the market opens, index compiler Nikkei Inc. said on Wednesday. NRI and Ryohin Keikaku will be added to adjust the number of companies in their sector.
The rebalancing may affect the companies’ shares as passive funds that track the gauge buy or sell in order to reflect the changes. Ryohin Keikaku and Nomura Research Institute shares have both outperformed the broader Topix Index this year.
The Nikkei 225 rebalance was in line with analyst forecasts that the blue-chip gauge would add Ryohin Keikaku and remove Nippon Paper.
Nikkei May Add Ryohin Keikaku, Cut Nippon Paper, Analysts Say
Ryohin Keikaku has gained about 15% so far in 2024 and NRI has jumped 22% while the Topix has risen 11%.
The biggest weighting on the Nikkei 225 at the moment is Fast Retailing Co. Nikkei announced in July it would apply a capping ratio on the company to decrease the weight after exceeding the threshold of 10%.
(Adds reasons for addition and deletion of companies)
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.