Japanese stocks rise on easing worries over European debt woes
By DPA, IANSWednesday, January 12, 2011
TOKYO - Japanese shares climbed in Thursday morning trading, hitting an eight-month high briefly, as concerns about the European debt crises eased.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average gained 67.78 points, or 0.64 percent, to trade at 10,580.58 while the broader Topix index was up 6.19 points, or 0.67 percent, at 935.83.
Stocks opened higher after strong gains on US and European markets as cash-strapped Portugal passed a key market test with investors backing a new bond issue launched by the country.
On currency markets at 9 a.m. (0000 GMT), the dollar traded at 83.08-09 yen, up slightly from Wednesday’s 5 p.m. quote of 83.00-02 yen.
The euro traded at $1.3126-3129, up from $1.3006-3007 Wednesday, and at 109.06-08 yen, up from 107.95-99 yen.
