TOKYO: Tokyo stocks finished at a 15-year high Wednesday after data showed Japan’s economy grew at its fastest pace in a year during the first quarter, while one of Hong Kong’s hottest stocks this year, Hanergy Thin Film Power Group Ltd., plunged nearly 50%.
The Nikkei Stock Average finished up 0.9% at 20196.56, its highest closing mark since April 2000. The benchmark extended further past the 20,000 mark, which it closed above Tuesday for the first time since late April.
The gains came after data showed Japan’s gross domestic product expanded an annualized 2.4% during the first quarter, higher than a 1.5% gain forecast by economists. That followed on the heels of upbeat U.S. housing data overnight.
