Regional Stocks Boost Nikkei Index

The Japanese Nikkei index rose today, Thursday, as the increase in stocks in regional exchanges lifted market sentiment. However, uncertainty surrounding the Bank of Japan's policy meeting constrained the gains. With more companies preparing to announce earnings tomorrow, Friday, investors also had more reasons to be cautious as shares of prominent firms fell today, including those of Advantest, a semiconductor testing equipment manufacturer, and Nissan Motor, which are expected to incur losses due to their results. CyberAgent's stock plummeted nearly 11 percent, making it the biggest loser. Nonetheless, the rise in regional stock exchanges helped the Nikkei index end trading up 0.68 percent at 32,891.16 points. During the session, it rose to 32,938.59 points but failed to surpass the 33,000 threshold, a level it has not exceeded since July 6th.