TOKYO, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks market closed at a new all-time high on Friday for the third straight day, amid optimism that a U.S. rate cut would be a tailwind for the Japanese economy.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei stock index, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average, ended up 395.62 points, or 0.89 percent, from Thursday to 44,768.12.
The broader Topix index, meanwhile, finished 12.73 points, or 0.40 percent, higher at 3,160.49.
Stocks advanced, tracking rallies on Wall Street overnight, boosted by the prospect of lower U.S. interest rates after higher-than-expected weekly jobless claims fueled expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve will cut rates next week.
With the possibility of multiple rate cuts this year increasing, many investors believed it would likely have a positive impact on the Japanese economy, which helped Tokyo stocks rise, analysts said.
Meanwhile, the market's upward momentum slightly slowed as gains were locked in amid caution about an overheating market. ■