Tokyo stocks end higher, select blue chips bounce
Thursday January 31, 4:00 PM
sg.biz.yahoo.com
By Risa Maeda
TOKYO, Jan 31 (Reuters) - The scent of a U.S. economic recovery swept major Japanese blue-chip exporters higher on Thursday, pulling the benchmark Nikkei up slightly, but nagging worries over earnings limited the gains.
Big automakers including Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> climbed on news that U.S. fourth-quarter gross domestic product rose 0.2 percent and after the Federal Reserve decided to stand pat on interest rates amid signs of economic strength. The Nikkei average <.N225> finished up 78.32 points or 0.79 percent at 9,997.80, a day after closing below the psychologically key 10,000 mark for the first time since October.
The broader, capital-weighted TOPIX index <.TOPX>, which hit a fresh 17-year closing low on Wednesday, rose 7.02 points or 0.73 percent to 971.77.
Toyota, the world's third-biggest automaker, added 2.07 percent to 3,450 yen after it ended the previous day at a one-month low.
"It looks to me as though investor appetite is quite healthy," said Shinko Securities equity strategist Tsuyoshi Segawa.
Trading was subdued with 659.50 million shares changing hands on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the lowest total since January 17.
Decliners outnumbered gainers 759 to 585. |
