Tokyo stocks open up 0.82 percent

TOKYO– Tokyo stocks opened 0.82 percent higher on Friday, taking its cue from the United States after Wall Street hit an all-time high.

The Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange rose 98.42 points to 12,066.50 at the start.

“The overall economic picture from the United States is getting incrementally brighter, which is helping to weaken the yen,” said Hiroichi Nishi, general manager of equities at SMBC Nikko Securities.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged to an all-time high for the third day in a row, adding 33.25 points, 0.23 percent, to 14,329.49.

US markets also gained from better-than-expected economic data, including Thursday’s report on a weekly decline in jobless claims. The report boosted confidence that Friday’s much-watched US payroll and unemployment data would be strong.

The yen’s decline was another factor for Friday’s early gains on the Tokyo bourse, brokers said.

The dollar was changing hands at 94.95 yen in early Asian trade Friday against 93.87 yen in Tokyo Thursday afternoon.

— Dow Jones Newswires contributed to this article —