TOKYO (Thomson Financial) - Japanese shares finished Monday morning higher
after the yen weakened against the dollar and worries over the health of the US
economy eased.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 returned to the 12,500-point level for the first
time since March 14. In the previous three sessions, the index regained nearly
700 points.
Initially, the Nikkei 225 traded lower as investors locked in profits
following a weak reading on business sentiment.
Before the opening bell, the government announced that sentiment among large
Japanese companies deteriorated for the second straight quarter in the first
quarter, reflecting growing concern about profits amid higher procurement costs
and increased uncertainty about demand at home and abroad.
The blue-chip Nikkei 225 Stock Index ended the morning session up 46.33
points or 0.4 percent at 12,528.90, off a high of 12,577.97.
The broader Topix index rose 8.42 points or 0.7 percent to 1,228.46, after
rising to as high as 1,232.75.
Gainers outpaced decliners 1,120 to 479, with 112 issues unchanged.
Volume declined to 713 million shares, down from 796 million on Friday
morning.
(1 US dollar = 99.81 yen)
masami.hachisu@thomson.com
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hm/ms/hm/nt
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