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Japan’s blue-chip stock index has ended the year at its highest year-end finish on record, despite a small selloff today.

The Nikkei stock average ended down 386.62 points, or almost 1%, today at 39,894 points.

“There was much optimism in the first half of the year with hope for a favorable cycle in which wages increase in tandem with prices, alongside the weak yen for corporate profits.”