TOKYO, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei edged higher on
cautious optimism, underpinned by gains on Wall Street and
prospects of a Sino-U.S. trade deal, while Z Holdings and Line
Corp advanced after a formal merger announcement.
The Nikkei share average .N225 rose 0.3% to 23,366.79 by
the midday break on Monday, and the broader Topix .TOPX stood
flat at 1,697.06.
On Friday, Wall Street's main stock indexes closed at record
levels, fuelled by fresh optimism over a potential easing of
U.S.-China trade tensions and by big gains in shares of
healthcare companies. .N
Chinese state media Xinhua said on Sunday that China and the
United States had "constructive talks" on trade in a high-level
phone call on Saturday, without giving details. The benchmark Nikkei was flat in early trade but rose
slightly after Hong Kong stocks opened firmer, later climbing
more than 1%, despite clashes between anti-government protesters
and police on the island, traders said.
Hong Kong police on Monday trapped hundreds of protesters
inside a major university and demonstrators rampaged through a
tourist district, after almost two straight days of standoffs
that have raised fears of a bloody showdown. In Tokyo, Z Holdings 4689.T , formerly known as Yahoo
Japan, and Line Corp 3938.T climbed 1.9% and 1.8%,
respectively, after the two sides formally annouced a merger
plan shortly before the market open to create a $30 billion tech
giant. SoftBank Corp's 9434.T internet unit Z Holdings was the
fifth-most traded stocks on the main board, while the messaging
app firm Line became the seventh-most traded.
Elsewhere, semiconductor-related shares fared well as
Applied Materials AMAT.O soared 8% on Friday after the chip
gear maker forecast first-quarter revenue and profit above Wall
Street estimates. Tokyo-listed Advantest 6857.T jumped 2.9%, Disco Corp