Share prices in Tokyo closed higher for the third day in a row, as hopes for the domestic economy kept buyers interested in stocks. While the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq managed only modest gains in New York overnight, the Nikkei 225 rose 115.76 points, or 1.1pc, to 10,729.29, boosting its gain over the past three days to 4.7pc. The broader Topix index of all first-section shares gained 9.62 points, almost 1pc, to 1,066.86, taking its gain for the week to 4.5pc. Gains might have been even greater, but profit taking put a cap on the upside as some traders cashed in ahead of today's US unemployment report.
It is expected to show that the US economy lost 25,000-30,000 jobs last month. On the currency market, the yen continued to gain against the dollar despite the best efforts of the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Japan to weaken the yen by selling the currency. At 0900, the dollar was worth 110.37 yen, having lost more than one yen in value this week. //www.fxcentre.com