By Stanley White
TOKYO, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Japanese shares rose on Monday and
briefly touched a more than 30-year high on rising expectations
for a rebound in corporate earnings and economic growth.
The Nikkei index .N225 rose 1.08% to 29,839.67 by 0152
GMT, with energy and healthcare shares leading gains. Early in
trading, the index rose to 30,006.46, reclaiming the
psychologically important 30,000 level for the first time since
August 1990. The broader Topix .TOPX rose 0.66% to 1,946.59, also its
highest since 1991.
Shares of companies that have reported positive earnings
rose, as investors continued to place bets on sectors that are
expected to perform well as the global economy recovers from the
coronavirus pandemic.
Japan is expected to start coronavirus vaccinations this
week, which is also supporting stock prices. However, Japanese
stocks have rallied 8% so far this month, and some analysts warn
that the market may be overheating.
"Stocks have risen so fast you could say they've broken the
speed limit," said Ayako Sera, market strategist at Sumitomo
Mitsui Trust Bank.
"Earnings growth has already been priced in for at least a
year from now. There is reluctance to chase the upside from
here, but stocks won't fall too much."
Equities also got a boost after data showed Japan's gross
domestic product grew faster than expected in the fourth
quarter. The stocks that gained the most among the top 30 core Topix
names were Daiichi Sankyo Co Ltd 4568.T , up 2.71 %, followed
by Seven & i Holdings Co Ltd 3382.T , up 2.15%.
The underperformers among the Topix 30 were Hitachi Ltd
6501.T , down 0.92%, followed by Recruit Holdings Co Ltd
6098.T that lost 0.74%.
There were 134 advancers on the Nikkei index against 89
decliners.
The volume of shares traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's
main board .TOPX was 0.61 billion, compared to the average of
1.26 billion in the past 30 days.