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| - Tokyo stocks opened higher on Monday, tracking Wall Street gains as investors digested Japan's latest GDP data showing growth slowed in the fourth quarter. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index rose 0.82 percent, or 242.60 points, to 29,762.67 in early trade, briefly surpassing the 30,000 level at one point -- the first time it has done so in 30 years. The broader Topix index advanced 0.66 percent, or 12.73 points, to 1,946.61. "This week, Japanese stocks are likely to continue their upward trend," Okasan Online Securities said. "There was a chilling moment after the powerful quake in the Tohoku region this weekend, but the impact on the market seems to be limited." Traders are also eying the coronavirus vaccine rollout expected to start as early as Wednesday in Japan for healthcare professionals, it added. "The Nikkei index is climbing as the central banks in Japan, the United States and Europe keep their massive monetary easing policies because of the pandemic," said Masayuki Kubota, chief strategist at Rakuten Securities. Wall Street stocks finished a solid week at all-time highs Friday with traders anticipating more US fiscal stimulus. The S&P 500 gained 0.5 percent to finish at 3,934.83. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.1 percent to 31,458.40, while the tech-rich Nasdaq also added 0.5 percent to 14,095.47. In Tokyo trading, SoftBank Group rose 1.83 percent to 9,977 yen while Uniqlo casual wear operator Fast Retailing grew 1.85 percent to 97,320 yen. Sony climbed 1.22 percent to 11,990 yen. Toyota dipped 0.03 percent to 8,410 yen while Honda was up 1.32 percent to 3,059 yen. The dollar fetched 105.10 yen in early Asian trade, against 104.91 yen in New York late Friday. nf/kaf/qan
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