RTRS: Nikkei climbs over 3 percent as stimulus plan cheers
Japan's Nikkei stock average climbed over 3 percent on Thursday, with Sony Corp and other electronics firms cheered by an economic stimulus plan that spurred hopes of increased consumer spending.
Automakers and solar power-related firms also gained after a draft of the plan showed it will feature bigger-than-expected spending of 15.4 trillion yen ($154 billion) and contain measures to encourage the use of solar panels and fuel-efficient cars.
The benchmark Nikkei climbed 256.87 points to 8,851.88 in somewhat thin trade and looked set to break a two-day fall, while the broader Topix gained 2.6 percent to 836.66. Sony surged 6.7 percent to 2,450 yen. Canon Inc rose 5.5 percent to 3,090 yen, becoming the biggest contributor to the Nikkei 225 by volume weight. Toyota Motor Corp gained 3.2 percent to 3,860 yen and Honda Motor Co gained 1.5 percent to 2,790 yen.
