Akhir 13, 1432 H/March 18, 2011, SPA -- Japanese stocks jumped Friday as the yen dropped against major currencies after the Group of Seven industrial countries' currency intervention, as dpa reported. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average gained 244.08 points, or 2.72 per cent, to close at 9,206.75 while the broader Topix index was up 19.59 points, or 2.42 per cent, at 830.39. Tokyo stocks opened higher after the Group of Seven industrial countries agreed to step into the currency markets in a coordinated manner to prevent the yen's surge. Japan's central bank pumped a total of 4 trillion yen (48 billion dollars) into money markets Friday to help stabilize the financial system amid the nuclear disaster following a massive earthquake and devastating tsunami a week ago. On currency markets at 3 pm (0600 GMT), the dollar traded at 81.72-73 yen, up sharply from Thursday's 5 pm quote of 79.21-22 yen. The euro traded at 1.4066-4067 dollars, up from 1.3956-3957 dollars Thursday, and at 114.95-97 yen, up sharply from 110.55-59 yen. A weaker yen makes Japanese goods less expensive abroad and improves repatriated earnings.
