TOKYO, Feb 15 The Nikkei average is seen opening higher on Thursday with high-tech stocks

TOKYO, Feb 15 (Reuters) The Nikkei average is seen opening higher on Thursday with high-tech stocks such as Advantest Corp.

gaining following a rise on Wall Street, but the market will likely take its direction from gross domestic product data to be released just before the start of trade.

Forecasts by 28 economists centred on a 0.9 percent rise in October-December GDP from the previous quarter in real, price-adjusted terms, or an annualised 3.8 percent.

''The GDP figures are likely to come in line with market expectations, and if that's the case the market will open higher following gains in U.S. stocks,'' said Yutaka Miura, deputy manager of the equity information department at Shinko Securities.

''But after opening higher, investors are likely to lock in profits as the yen is getting a bit stronger and the Nikkei has risen too rapidly.'' In New York, the dollar was down 0.3 percent at 120.74 yen on Wednesday, near a 120.61 session trough, according to Reuters data.

Nikkei futures pointed to a rise in the market.

Contracts expiring in March finished at 17,950 in Chicago, a climb of 170 points from the close in Osaka The Nikkei is likely to move between 17,650 and 17,950 on Thursday, market participants said.

The benchmark gained 0.74 percent on Wednesday to its highest close in nearly seven years, extending its rally to a fourth session. The broader TOPIX index ended up 0.54 percent at 1,765.31, its highest since April 2006.

Traders are focusing on GDP figures for clues to whether the Bank of Japan will raise interest rates next week.

Higher rates are seen hurting stocks in general since they increase borrowing costs and can curb consumer spending, but they boost the income of banks.

U.S. stocks rallied on Wednesday, sending the Dow Jones industrial average to a record close, as investors drew support from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's comments that inflation is poised to ease while the economy grows moderately.

It was a broad-based rally, with influential sectors such as technology and financial services leading gains.

The Fed chief's message in testimony to Congress eased worries that the U.S. central bank might soon raise interest rates to control inflation.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.69 percent to end at a record 12,741.86, and the Nasdaq Composite Index gained 1.16 percent.

STOCKS TO WATCH -- Orient Corp., Mizuho Financial Group Inc. T> Japanese consumer lender Orient is likely to book a 200 billion yen ($1.66 billion) net loss for the year to March, instead of its earlier forecast net profit, in order to set aside reserves for legal claims by borrowers, the Nikkei business daily said on Thursday.

Orient may receive financial assistance from Mizuho Financial Group, which could force the lender to lower its full-year earnings, the paper said.

-- Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. T> Japan's second-largest drug maker said on Wednesday it planned to more than double its U.S. sales staff, seeking to capitalise on new drugs expected to come to market.

The maker of Benicar, a treatment for high blood pressure, also said it would reward shareholders, earmarking its cash flow for the next three years to be given back either as dividends or as share buybacks.

-- Sumitomo Trust&Banking Co.

Japan's fifth-biggest bank said on Wednesday it would issue 50 billion yen of preferred securities through a special-purpose subsidiary.

-- Sunstar Inc., Nomura Holdings Inc. T> Nomura Capital Investment Inc., a wholly owned Nomura Holdings Inc. subsidiary, will lead a tender offer for Sunstar Inc. for up to 24.3 billion yen in a management buyout, Sunstar said on Wednesday. -- Daihatsu Motor Co. T> JPMorgan Securities cut its rating on Daihatsu Motor, a minivehicle maker majority owned by Toyota Motor Corp., to ''underweight'' from ''neutral'' on Wednesday citing a risk that its earnings will fall short of expectations.

''We continue to expect earnings growth but think a relatively cautious view is required,'' analyst Takaki Nakanishi wrote. ''The share price has maintained an autonomously driven rally since summer last year, but we think there will be considerable downside risk if the company disappoints optimistic earnings estimates.'' -- Furukawa Electric Co., Fujikura Ltd. and other makers of optical fibre products.

The president of telecoms giant Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. said on Wednesday it may miss its target for sign-ups to its fibre-optic services this year.

-- Culture Convenience Club Co. (CCC) T> The operator of the Tsutaya CD and video rental chain on Wednesday cut its group recurring profit forecast for the year to March by 17 percent to 14.5 billion yen, citing weaker sales than expected at existing outlets and the opening of fewer new stores than originally planned.

CCC also attributed the revision to a smaller-than-expected contribution from affiliates as well as an increase in costs for personnel and computer systems. It left its net profit forecast unchanged at 9.0 billion yen due to an extraordinary gain.

-- Nichirei Corp. T> Nichirei, Japan's biggest frozen food maker, said on Wednesday its subsidiary shipped salmon last year that carried more colon bacillus than permitted by law.

Nichirei said it found five such cases through an internal inspection conducted last week and that the unit shipped the salmon between Nov. 15 and Dec. 16, 2006. No health problem has been reported, it said in a statement.

Reuters AD VP0552