Tokyo stocks fall in morning as investors sell ahead of holidays

TOKYO, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks lost ground Monday morning on the final trading day of the year as investors took to selling in their final adjustments ahead of the New Year holidays.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average lost 123.04 points, or 0.52 percent, from Friday to 23,714.68.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, was down 8.39 points, or 0.48 percent, at 1,724.79.

The majority of industry categories retreated into negative territory, with machinery and real estate issues comprising those that declined the most by the morning break. Enditem