RTRS: Nikkei up as U.S. hopes boost banks, exporters gain
Japan's Nikkei average rose 5.2 percent on Friday to its biggest weekly gain in over 3 months on hopes for the U.S. economy after data showed retail sales stabilizing and Bank of America reported a return to profit. The benchmark Nikkei also posted its biggest one-day percentage gain in 3 months, with exporters such as Canon Inc climbing as the yen's rise against the dollar appeared to have halted.
In active trade, the Nikkei climbed 371.03 points to 7,569.28. The broader Topix gained 3.3 percent to 724.30 a day after closing at its lowest point in 25 years.
