TOKYO: Tokyo stocks gained 0.96 percent Wednesday morning after a fresh record close on Wall Street and hopes for an end to Greece’s debt stand-off, while a weaker yen supported exporters.
The Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange rose 171.87 points to 18,158.96 by the break, while the Topix index of all first-section issues was up 1.23 percent, or 17.97 points, at 1,480.04.
Greek public television said Tuesday that the new government will apply for further aid from its European partners, although will not sign up to the painful austerity measures imposed on the country.
And in an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said: “We should extend the credit programme by a few months to have enough stability so that we can negotiate a new agreement between Greece and Europe.”
“The market thinks they’ll eventually reach a last-minute compromise,” said Hiroichi Nishi, an equities manager at SMBC Nikko Securities in Tokyo.
