Japanese stocks close higher as yen’s momentum eases

Japanese stocks rose at the close of trading on Thursday, as the yen’s momentum eased, following comments from a member of the Japanese central bank calling for an interest rate hike to at least 1% in the coming months.

The Tokyo Stock Exchange reported that the 225-issue Nikkei index ended today’s session up 0.61%, or 235.05 points, to reach 39,066.53 points, while the broader Topix index closed up 0.25%, or 6.79 points, to close at 2,752.20 points.

The positive performance of its counterpart on the US Wall Street Stock Exchange on Wednesday, supported by the technology sector, helped Japanese stocks rise.

As for the exchange rate, the US currency stabilized against its Japanese counterpart at 152.56 yen, after touching 151.82 yen earlier in the trading.