* Nikkei 225 Stock Average: -274.29 (-1.5%) to 17,779.09
* Nikkei 225 futures Osaka: -310 (-1.7%) to 17,790
* TOPIX: -23.56 (-1.3%) to 1,756.16; Advancers 289 x decliners 1,372 (unchanged 71), new highs 19 x new lows 66
* JASDAQ: -0.56 (-0.69%) to 80.57

Millea Holdings (JP: 8766) (MLEA) +4.3% to Y5,380, TDK (JP: 6763) (TDK) +1.9% to Y11,590, Mizuho FG (JP: 8411) (MFG) +1.7% to Y899k
Insurance and bank stocks are hot on analyst optimism; Goldman likes the financial sector; overseas investors believed to be buyers; sector has lagged since ‘06 — seems to have botttom-out; TDK having a great ‘07 as noted in an earlier post