TOKYO – Tokyo stocks opened higher Thursday, extending US rallies on hopes of new stimulus after President Joe Biden took office, with traders awaiting a Bank of Japan's policy decision.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index was up 0.86 percent or 246.13 points to 28,769.39 in early trade, while the broader Topix index advanced 0.68 percent or 12.57 points to 1,862.15.
The Dow and S&P 500 posted all-time highs, but none gained more than the Nasdaq, which climbed 2.0% to a new record thanks in part to Netflix, which saw its share price surge after an excellent quarterly earnings report.
Europe followed on from gains in Asia yesterday, Frankfurt ended with almost 0.8% higher and Paris was up 0.5%, while London added 0.4% as the pound hit a new 2.5-year peak against the US dollar. – AFP, January 21, 2021