Tokyo Stocks Seen Opening Down TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese stocks will probably open lower on Monday following a further decline in U.S. markets, with investors wary about company earnings, in particular those of technology firms. Investors' focus will be on companies such as semiconductor chip maker Elpida Memory Inc and East Japan Railway Co which are set to announce earnings later on Monday. Japanese shares fell for a fourth straight session on Friday after Sony Corp. slashed its profit estimate. A rising oil price and firm yen are also concerns because of their effect on company profits, analysts said. "The external factors are all against us -- a fall in New York, firmness in the yen and a rise in oil price," said Koichi Seki, equity manager at Chuo Securities. "There are also concerns about consumer electronics makers' earnings after the poor outlook from Sony," he said. Traders expect the Nikkei average to trade between 11,150 and 11,300 on Monday. The Nikkei declined 0.41 percent or 46.4 points to finish at 11,238.37 on Friday. For the week it lost 200 points or 1.75 percent, the biggest weekly percentage loss since the week of Dec. 6. U.S. stocks slid on Friday, ending the third consecutive week of 2005 in the red, as oil prices jumped and data indicated a drop in consumer sentiment. The dollar also weakened on the data. Crude oil rose more than $1 a barrel on cold weather in the U.S. Northeast and government data showing a slightly bigger-than-expected drop in natural gas inventories last week. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 0.75 percent to 10,392.99.10 and the Nasdaq Composite Index fell 0.57 percent, to close at 2,034.27. STOCKS TO WATCH -- Monex Beans Holdings.     Continued ... Quelle "Tokyo Stocks Seen Opening Down" : reuters.com Main page for "Tokyo Stocks Seen Opening Down"