Nikkei Ends Morning Above Late-2008 Levels

TOKYO (NQN)--Tokyo stocks rose sharply Friday morning, with the Nikkei Stock Average surging 251.03 points, or 2.1%, to end the session at 12,219.11, surpassing the closing price of 12,214.76 logged on Sept. 12, 2008, just before Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. went bankrupt.

The dollar rose to the lower-95 yen level for the first time in about three years and seven months on expectations that the U.S. economy will improve and Japan will implement bolder monetary easing steps, prompting buying of exporters, such as Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) and Sony Corp. (6758).

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