Tokyo stocks close higher, SoftBank soars on Trump deal

TOKYO: Tokyo stocks ended higher Wednesday after another record close on Wall Street and as SoftBank soared in response to Donald Trump's announcement of a $50 billion investment by the telecoms and internet giant.

Dealers are also looking ahead to a meeting Thursday of the European Central Bank, which is expected to extend a stimulus programme beyond its planned March finish and provide further buying support.

Tokyo and other major markets have held their ground despite Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's resignation in reaction to losing a consitutional referendum, fuelling worries about stability in the country.

"With the Italian government still in a state of confusion, it's difficult for the ECB to take any tapering tone; it's likely that they'll simply extend their purchases," Chihiro Ohta, a Tokyo-based senior strategist at SMBC Nikko Securities, told Bloomberg News.

"We have a general lack of themes to move on today. Given the market's mindset that the US economy is improving, stocks should fare well, as investors generally have a more bullish outlook right now."

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index gained 0.74 percent, or 136.15 points, to finish at 18,496.69. The broader Topix index of all first-section issues tacked on 0.91 percent, or 13.42 points, to 1,490.62.

SoftBank soared 6.19 percent to 7,387 yen, with investors hailing CEO Masayoshi Son's meeting with President-elect Trump in New York.

Trump said Tuesday that Son had agreed to invest the huge sum in business and job creation in the United States.

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group rose 1.48 percent to 4,572 yen and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial added 2.54 percent to 734.4 yen.

Automaker Nissan rose 1.34 percent to 1094.5 yen, with Toyota jumping 2.64 percent at 6,860 yen and Honda gaining 1.35 percent to 3,375 yen.

The dollar rose to 114.23 yen from 114.03 yen in New York.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2016