Tokyo … News Time
Tokyo stocks rose for the 2nd straight day following the year’s first trading, boosted by the expectation the US economy will continue to expand. On Friday, the Nikkei average of 225 selected issues ended the day’s trading at 23,714, up 208 points from Thursday’s close. The broader TOPIX index closed at 1,880, up 16 points. Market watchers say investors placed sell orders to take profits after the Nikkei index gained more than 700 points on Thursday. But in the afternoon, they bought automobile, electronics and other shares, mostly from overseas.