Japan shares end near three-decade high after Trump signs stimulus bill

By Stanley White
TOKYO, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Japanese shares rose in
holiday-thinned trade on Monday towards the highest in nearly
three decades as investors continued to bet that U.S. fiscal
stimulus and coronavirus vaccinations will quicken the global
economic recovery.
The Nikkei 225 Index .N225 ended up 0.74% at 26,854.03,
just shy of a 30-year high hit last week. The broader Topix
.TOPX rose 0.54% to 1,788.04.
Healthcare, utilities, industrial machinery makers and
technology stocks rose on expectations that the earnings outlook
will improve after a tumultuous year marred by the coronavirus
outbreak.
Bucking the positive mood, Sharp Corp 6753.T fell 3.03%
after saying it suspects one of its subsidiaries used improper
accounting techniques. U.S. President Donald Trump signed a $2.3 trillion financial
aid and spending bill after initially refusing to approve the
legislation, which restores unemployment benefits to millions
and averts a partial federal government shutdown. Europe launched a mass COVID-19 vaccination drive on Sunday.
Vaccinations have also begun in Britain and the United States,
raising hope that major economies can shake off the drag caused
by the spread of the coronavirus. "Given the economic stimulus that has come from Japan,
Europe, and the United States, it is possible that the global
economy will recover faster than expected next year, but this is
based on the assumption that vaccinations proceed smoothly,"
analysts at Daiwa Securities wrote in a research memo.
The stocks that gained the most among the top 30 core Topix
names were Murata Manufacturing Co Ltd 6981.T up 4.67%,
followed by Daiichi Sankyo Co Ltd 4568.T gaining 2.64%.
The underperformers among the Topix 30 were Takeda
Pharmaceutical Co Ltd 4502.T down 1.31%, followed by Mitsui &
Co Ltd 8031.T losing 0.55%.
There were 115 advancers on the Nikkei index against 102
decliners.
The volume of shares traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's
main board .TOPX was 0.88 billion, compared to the average of
1.24 billion in the past 30 days.