Tokyo  - Tokyo stocks fell Wednesday for the first time in six trading days as investors sold stocks to lock in profits.

Financial shares were hit hard after bank stocks fell overnight on Wall Street following an influential US analyst downgrading bank issues.

The benchmark Nikkei 222 Stock Average declined 25.43 points, or 0.25 per cent, in morning trading to 10,051.13.

The broader-based Topix index also was down 9.19 points, or 1.02 per cent, at 892.21.

On currency markets at 9 am (0000 GMT), the dollar traded at 89.83-87 yen, down from Tuesday's 5 pm quote of 90.10-13 yen.

The euro traded at 1.4850-54 dollars, up from 1.4765-68 dollars Tuesday, and at 133.41-48 yen, up from 133.06-10 dollars. (dpa)