Nikkei Tops 12,600 1st Time In 4.5 Yrs

TOKYO (NQN)--Tokyo stocks continued higher Thursday afternoon following a national holiday the previous day, with the Nikkei Stock Average jumping 123 points to begin the day at a 2012-'13 high of 12,592.

The benchmark index later surpassed 12,600 for the first time since Sept. 8, 2008.

The dollar strengthened to around 96 yen and the euro rose to the lower-124 yen level on easing concerns about the euro zone's bailout plan for Cyprus.

Factors such as the yen's decline and Wall Street's gains overnight are pushing up blue-chip exporters, including Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) and Sony Corp. (6758).

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