Nikkei up 1.6 pct after Dow hits record again

Tokyo, Oct 5: The Nikkei average rose 1.64 percent on Thursday morning as blue-chip stocks such as Canon Inc. gained after the Dow Jones industrial average posted a second straight record close.

The Nikkei has been testing its September high of 16,414 but so far hasn't got there due to lingering caution over the strength of the U.S. economy, a key destination of Japanese products, and ahead of first-half earnings reports at home, which peak at the end of this month.

The Nikkei was up 263.66 points at 16,346.21, more than making up for its total loss of 171 points in the previous two sessions.

The broader TOPIX index was 1.27 percent higher at 1,622.31.

Reuters