Tokyo stocks ended flat Monday, as early gains on technology buying were pared by investors locking in gains amid caution ahead of U.S. inflation data later this week.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended up 17.00 points, or 0.05 percent, from Friday at 32,585.11. The broader Topix index finished 0.10 point lower at 2,336.62.

On the top-tier Prime Market, gainers were led by warehousing and harbor transportation service and rubber product issues, while the leading decliners were chemical and marine transportation issues.

The U.S. dollar rose to a one-year high of around 151.80 yen in Tokyo amid expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve will keep interest rates higher for an extended period.

Tokyo stocks opened higher, with the Nikkei briefly close to the 33,000 line, on buying of semiconductor and other electronics issues driven by strong advances in the technology-heavy Nasdaq index.

But gains were erased as investors grew cautious ahead of the release Tuesday of the U.S. consumer price index data for October that is seen as a key indicator of whether the Fed has been successful in cooling the U.S. economy, analysts said.

Analysts said investor optimism for no further interest rate hikes in the world's largest economy has faded after Fed Chair Jerome Powell signaled last week the possibility more increases may come.

"With the CPI in the United States to come, hawkish comments from the Fed chair have left investors unable to discount the idea that interest rates could go up again," said Makoto Sengoku, senior equity market analyst at the Tokai Tokyo Research Institute.

Among technology shares that helped support the market, semiconductor manufacturing equipment maker Tokyo Electron climbed 385 yen, or 1.7 percent, to 22,575 yen, while chip-testing device maker Advantest was up 65 yen, or 1.5 percent, to 4,306 yen.

Companies that have recently released financial reports were some of the biggest winners and losers on the Tokyo market.

Major beverage maker Asahi Group Holdings advanced 202 yen, or 3.6 percent, to 5,870 yen, after reporting sales and profit growth in the January-September period due partly to the effect of price hikes and recovering demand for alcoholic beverages.

Cosmetics firm Shiseido tumbled 700 yen, or 14.3 percent, to 4,185 yen, after downgrading its earnings projection for the business year through December, citing slumping sales in China affected by Japan's release of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea.

==Kyodo

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