<p class="bodytext">Japan's benchmark Nikkei steadied on Monday, on course for its biggest monthly gain in decades, as optimism over progress in Covid-19 vaccine development and fading uncertainty surrounding the US election boosted investor appetite in risk assets.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Nikkei share average was nearly flat at 26,666.91 points by the midday break. The index was poised to add nearly 16% in November, its biggest monthly gain since Jan 1994.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The broader Topix was also poised to mark its best month since April 2013, despite losing 0.46% to 1,778.37 earlier in the session.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Japanese equities continued on a strong note on Monday after Wall Street ended higher last week, but later pared gains on selling pressure due to profit-booking and month-end adjustments.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The dollar fell 0.25% to 103.87 against the Japanese yen in the morning trade, also providing a headwind for export-oriented stocks, analysts said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">All but eight of the 33 sector sub-indexes on the Tokyo exchange traded lower, with oil and coal products and miners leading the declines.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The aviation and land transport sectors took a hit, down 2.48% and 1.19% respectively, due to the rising number of domestic coronavirus cases.</p>.<p class="bodytext">ANA Holdings fell as much as 1.4% in early trade before trading 0.49% higher as the airline said on Friday it would issue new shares to raise $3.2 billion.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Among individual gainers, Nikkei heavyweight SoftBank Group Corp rose more than 1.7%, supported by risk sentiment, to hit its highest level since April 2000.</p>.<p class="bodytext">NEC Corp edged 0.71% higher after the Nikkei daily reported that the company was to promote Chief Financial Officer Takayuki Morita to the position of its chief executive officer.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Elsewhere, the Mothers Index of start-up firms added 0.71%.</p>
<p class="bodytext">Japan's benchmark Nikkei steadied on Monday, on course for its biggest monthly gain in decades, as optimism over progress in Covid-19 vaccine development and fading uncertainty surrounding the US election boosted investor appetite in risk assets.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Nikkei share average was nearly flat at 26,666.91 points by the midday break. The index was poised to add nearly 16% in November, its biggest monthly gain since Jan 1994.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The broader Topix was also poised to mark its best month since April 2013, despite losing 0.46% to 1,778.37 earlier in the session.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Japanese equities continued on a strong note on Monday after Wall Street ended higher last week, but later pared gains on selling pressure due to profit-booking and month-end adjustments.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The dollar fell 0.25% to 103.87 against the Japanese yen in the morning trade, also providing a headwind for export-oriented stocks, analysts said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">All but eight of the 33 sector sub-indexes on the Tokyo exchange traded lower, with oil and coal products and miners leading the declines.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The aviation and land transport sectors took a hit, down 2.48% and 1.19% respectively, due to the rising number of domestic coronavirus cases.</p>.<p class="bodytext">ANA Holdings fell as much as 1.4% in early trade before trading 0.49% higher as the airline said on Friday it would issue new shares to raise $3.2 billion.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Among individual gainers, Nikkei heavyweight SoftBank Group Corp rose more than 1.7%, supported by risk sentiment, to hit its highest level since April 2000.</p>.<p class="bodytext">NEC Corp edged 0.71% higher after the Nikkei daily reported that the company was to promote Chief Financial Officer Takayuki Morita to the position of its chief executive officer.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Elsewhere, the Mothers Index of start-up firms added 0.71%.</p>