TOKYO – Tokyo stocks closed higher today as investors kept a bullish outlook with Japan preparing to start coronavirus vaccinations, fuelling hopes for economic normalisation.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 index gained 1.28%, or 383.60 points, to end at 30,467.75, while the broader Topix index advanced 0.57%, or 11.14 points, to 1,965.08.
The Nikkei closed yesterday above 30,000 for the first time since 1990.
“There are some concerns on the upward trend, but (Tokyo shares) are likely to go higher as details about vaccination are revealed,” Rikiya Takebe, senior strategist at Okasan Online Securities.
Japan is set to start giving Pfizer-BioNTech shots to 10,000 to 20,000 medical workers from tomorrow after the vaccine was approved by the Health Ministry on Sunday.
Minister Taro Kono, who is in charge of vaccinations, is scheduled to hold a presser about the details of the roll-out later today.
The dollar fetched ¥105.39, nearly flat from ¥105.35 in London overnight.
US markets were closed for Presidents Day.
In Tokyo trading, market heavyweight SoftBank Group jumped 4.14% to ¥10,420, while Uniqlo operator Fast Retailing rose 3.05% to ¥102,500.
Sony climbed 2.25% to ¥12,240.
Toyota dropped 1.80% to ¥8,303 while its rival Honda was up 0.29% to ¥3,061. Nissan fell 1.21% to ¥602.5. – AFP, February 16, 2021
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