Japanese Stocks rise 1%

Japanese shares jumped almost One per cent Wednesday as overnight gains on Wall Street and European markets helped improve market sentiment. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average gained 84.18 points, or 0.99 per cent, to end at 8,550.58 while the broader Topix index was up 3.45 points, or 0.47 per cent, at 734.98. On Tuesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.48 per cent after German business confidence staged an unexpected rebound, a monthly survey showed. On currency markets at 3 pm (0600 GMT) in Tokyo, the dollar traded at 76.65-66 yen, up from Tuesday's 5 pm quote of 76.58-60 yen. The euro was quoted at 97.87-89 yen, up from 97.73-75 yen late Tuesday, and at 1.2767-2772 dollars, up from 1.2760-2762 dollars, according to a report of the German Press Agency "DPA".