Nikkei Jumps After Nasdaq Rally
TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo stocks began the new year brightly on Tuesday,
quickly jumping above the key 19,000 mark in early trade following solid
overnight gains on the U.S. Nasdaq market, traders said.
At 0008 GMT, the benchmark Nikkei average was up 253.27 points or 1.34
percent at 19,187.61, breaching the 19,000 level for the first time since
November 26. The March futures contract was up 280 points at 19,110.
But traders said volume would be limited due to the half-day trading session.
Full trading will resume on Wednesday.
The Tokyo market continued to be led by high-technology and
telecommunication shares, with telecom carrier DDI Corp soaring 90,000 yen
or 6.43 percent to 1.49 million yen as of 0024 GMT and mobile phone giant
NTT Docomo rising 130,000 yen or 3.31 percent to 4.06 million yen.
Among high-tech blue-chips, Sony Corp gained 900 yen or 2.97 percent to
31,200, extending its all-time high, while NEC Corp was up 135 yen or 5.54
percent at 2,570.
Traders said the performance of Sony, which boosted market confidence late
last year with its announcement of a planned two-for-one share split, is
expected to lead the overall market for the time being. |
