Tokyo stocks open 0.93 percent higher

TOKYO: Tokyo stocks opened 0.93 percent higher on Friday after strong US jobs data sparked another record-breaking advance on Wall Street and the dollar´s rise against the yen.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index soared 142.08 points to 15,490.37 at the start."All the signs are green for a potentially triple-digit Nikkei advance today," said Hiroichi Nishi, general manager of equities at SMBC Nikko Securities.

Wall Street stocks Thursday closed at new records, with the Dow crossing 17,000 after surprisingly robust US jobs growth pointed to a stronger economy.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.54 percent to 17,068.26, while the S&P 500 gained 0.55 percent to 1,985.44.

Both indices closed at records highs for the third straight session. The dollar was at 102.19 yen in Tokyo early Friday, hardly changed from 102.20 yen in New York Thursday afternoon but up from 101.88 yen in Tokyo earlier Thursday.

A weaker yen is positive for Japanese exporters as it makes them more competitive abroad and increases profits when repatriated.

The Labor Department said Thursday the US economy added a healthy 288,000 jobs in June, while the unemployment rate fell to 6.1 percent from 6.3 percent in May.

The euro bought $1.3608 and 139.08 yen early Friday, compared with $1.3609 and 139.09 yen in US trade on Thursday.