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STOCKS-MARKETS-JAPAN-OPEN-LEAD
Tokyo stocks open higher as yen edges lower
TOKYO, June 5, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Tokyo stocks opened higher on Tuesday as a
strong US jobs report continued to support the global market while the yen
edged lower against the dollar, boosting Japanese exporters.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index rose 0.36 percent or 80.58 points to
22,556.52 in early trade while the broader Topix index was up 0.32 percent or
5.61 points at 1,780.30.
“Stock market investors remain utterly unfazed by the prospects of trade
tariffs or even higher interest rates as consecutive monthly payroll numbers
continue to support” the comfortable scenario over the global economy for
investors, Stephen Innes, head of trading for Asia Pacific at Oanda, said in
a note to clients.
“Supported by rallies in US shares and a lower yen (against the dollar),
Japanese shares are seen testing the upper limit” of their prices, Yoshihiro
Ito, chief strategist at Okasan Online Securities, said in a commentary.
The dollar fetched 109.94 yen in early Asian trade, up from 109.73 yen in
New York late Monday.
Game giant Nintendo rallied 2.24 percent to 41,380 yen, semiconductor
equipment maker Tokyo Electron rose 1.65 percent to 21,210 yen and display
maker Japan Display was up 2.34 percent at 131 yen.
Toshiba was up 1.00 percent at 302 yen after it said it will discuss a
widely reported plan to sell its PC business to Sharp at a board meeting
later Tuesday.
Sharp rose 2.94 percent to 3,040 yen in early trade.
Minutes before the opening bell, official data showed that Japan’s
household spending slipped 1.3 percent year-on-year in April, the third
consecutive monthly decline.
The stocks market barely reacted to the latest data that was nevertheless
worse than market expectations of a 0.8-percent increase.
In the US market Monday, solid gains in tech stocks drove the Nasdaq to a
fresh record, closing up 0.7 percent at 7,606.46.
The Dow ended up 0.7 percent while the broader S&P closed 0.5 percent
higher.
BSS/AFP/MR/ 1030 hrs