Tokyo: Nikkei hits record high, Fast Retailing leads gains

[TOKYO] Japan’s Nikkei share average hit a record high on Monday, tracking the Dow Jones’s higher finish last week, with Uniqlo-brand owner Fast Retailing leading the gains.

The Nikkei rose 0.6 per cent to 43,628.21 as of 0015 GMT. The broader Topix also scaled a record peak, gaining 0.4 per cent to 3,120.15.

The blue-chip Dow Jones ended higher after hitting an intraday record high on Friday, as UnitedHealth’s shares jumped after Berkshire Hathaway raised its stake.

However, other Wall Street indexes slipped, as mixed data clouded the Federal Reserve’s next monetary policy move.

Fast Retailing rose 1.38 per cent to lend the biggest boost to the Nikkei.

Technology heavyweights weighed on the Nikkei, with SoftBank Group and Sony Group falling 0.42 per cent each. REUTERS