Tokyo stocks ends morning down 0.37%

Tokyo stocks (Nikkei) closed the morning session lower Tuesday in response to overnight falls in overseas markets, but the Nikkei Stock Average trimmed its losses on dip-purchases and buying back of previously unloaded shares. The benchmark Nikkei average stood at 9,506.82, down 35.35 points, or 0.37%, during the lunch break. The gauge opened lower after Europe and U.S. stocks declined on concerns about a possible economic slowdown and debt problems in Europe. The yen's strength kept investors from buying blue chips, but the index showed resilience at levels below the psychologically important 9,500 mark, encouraging investors to buy shares. Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) turned slightly higher after a morning fall. The trading value on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange came in at 460.6 billion yen at the close of morning trade, with 746 million shares changing hands. On the first section, 982 issues declined while 504 rose and 183 remained unchanged.