TOKYO, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks ended higher Thursday as rising chip issues and solid machinery orders data helped the benchmark Nikkei stock index extend its winning streak to the fifth straight day to finish at a fresh 30-year high.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average added 241.67 points, or 0.85 percent, from Wednesday to close the day at 28,698.26, marking its highest closing level since Aug. 3, 1990.
The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, gained 8.88 points, or 0.48 percent, to finish at 1,873.28.
Buying got a boost in early trade owing to U.S. technology-linked shares finding favor overnight, helped by Intel surging 7 percent following reports the firm said it expects to beat its financial forecast for the fourth quarter.
Along with their peers here finding favor, some tech-related stocks also received upward momentum following a government report showing better-than-expected core private-sector machinery orders for November.
Such orders serve as a leading indicator of firms' capital expenditure in the coming months.
"The data showed companies are restarting investment with a view the pandemic will finally end, raising hopes for a recovery in the real economy," Koichi Fujishiro, a senior economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute, was quoted as saying.
Among tech issues buoyed by their U.S. peers, Trend Micro added 1.2 percent, while SoftBank Group advanced 2.9 percent by the close.
Solid machinery orders sent related issues higher, with industrial robotics maker Fanuc rising 2.2 percent, while Yaskawa Electric ended the day climbing 5.3 percent.
Hopes for further U.S. economic stimulus underpinned investors' risk appetite, with brokerages gaining traction.
"The upward market trend is prompting investors to buy more stocks. Investors are buying stocks out of this 'fear of missing out' sentiment," Takashi Hiroki, chief strategist at Monex Securities, was quoted as saying.
Daiwa Securities Group leapt 2.3 percent, Monex Group surged 10.8 percent, while Nomura Holdings gained 1.4 percent.
By the close of play, machinery, rubber product, land transportation, and information and communication issues comprised those that advanced the most.
Issues that fell outpaced those that rose by 1,090 to 1,000 on the First Section, while 98 ended the day unchanged.
On the main section on Thursday, 1,413.74 million shares changed hands, rising from Wednesday's volume of 1,239.56 million shares.
The turnover on the penultimate trading day of the week came to 3,242.076 billion yen (31.17 billion U.S. dollars). Enditem
