TOKYO, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks ended higher Friday on buying following the Federal Reserve's decision to cut the policy rate for the third straight time.
The benchmark Nikkei stock index, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average, ended up 687.73 points, or 1.37 percent, from Thursday at 50,836.55.
The broader Topix index, meanwhile, finished 66.59 points, or 1.98 percent, higher at 3,423.83, marking a record high close.
Stocks rose almost across the board, helping the benchmark Nikkei rise more than 900 points at one point, as the U.S. Dow Jones index closed at a record high overnight amid hopes that the Fed's latest interest rate cut will support the U.S. economy, analysts said.
Meanwhile, weaker-than-expected U.S. labor-related data released Thursday fueled speculation that the Fed will continue reducing interest rates. ■