By Mai Iida, BridgeNews Tokyo--Jan. 17--The Nikkei 225 Stock Average closed Wednesday higher for the fourth straight session for the first time since Oct. 4. With sentiment boosted by an improved near-term outlook for the Japanese and U.S. stock markets, short-covering and bargain-hunting pushed shares higher, particularly telecom and bank issues. The Nikkei rose 83.18 points, or 0.6% to 13,667.63.