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| - Tokyo's key Nikkei 225 index opened up over 1.5 percent on Tuesday, tracking rallies on global markets after news that a coronavirus vaccine had shown 90 percent effectiveness. The Nikkei was up 1.52 percent or 377.79 points at 25,217.63 in the first minutes of the trading day, with the broader Topix index up 1.51 percent or 25.33 points at 1,707.23. "Japanese stocks are seen rallying for the sixth straight session, after the US market rocketed on news that a vaccine Pfizer and BioNTech are developing was 90 percent effective in protecting against Covid-19 infections," Okasan Online Securities said in a commentary. "It's big news amid worries about the virus infection spreading in Europe and in the US," it said. A cheap yen against the dollar was also supporting Japanese shares, analysts said. The dollar fetched 105.10 yen in early Asian trade, against 105.31 yen in New York and 103.52 yen in Tokyo late Monday. In New York, the bellwether Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped more than 830 points or 2.95 percent to finish the day at 29,157.97, With spiking coronavirus cases worldwide forcing millions of people to face new restrictions, news that a vaccine might be coming soon offered hope the economy could begin to return to normal in coming months. kh/sah/jah
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