Tokyo stocks retreat in morning on profit-taking, Fed meeting eyed

TOKYO, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks lost ground Tuesday morning as investors opted to secure profits following the Nikkei's recent rise ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 56.12 points, or 0.26 percent, from Monday to 21,528.38.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, fell 4.78 points, or 0.30 percent, to 1,608.90.

Retail, electric power and gas, and precision instrument-linked issues comprised those that declined the most by the morning break.