Nikkei closes above 9,000 line for 1st time in 2 months

Special Report:Global Financial Crisis

Women dressed in ceremonial kimonos pose

in front of a board showing stock prices at the Tokyo Stock Exchange's

(TSE) New Year opening ceremony in Tokyo January 5, 2009.(Chinese media/Reuters

Photo)
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TOKYO, Jan. 5 (Chinese media) -- Tokyo stocks closed 2 percent higher Monday with the key Nikkei index jumping above the 9,000 line for the first time in nearly two months.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 Average advanced 183.56 points, or 2.07 percent to 9,043.12.

The broader Topix index rose 16.67 points, or 1.94 percent, to 875.91.

Volume and value leader Mizuho Financial Group jumped 35 yen, or nearly 14 percent, to 292 yen.

On the First Section, advancing issues outnumbered declining ones 868 to 715, with 102 others remaining unchanged.

Trading volume on the main section went up to 1,146.59 million shares from 853.97 million on Dec. 30, also a half-day session on the final trading day of 2008.

The TSE's Second Section index gained 20.60 points, or 1.06 percent, to 1,959.70 on a volume of 17.68 million shares.

On the Osaka Securities Exchange, the near-term March Nikkei 225 index futures contract increased 240 points to 9,070.