Tokyo stocks up by break as banks, autos rally

A passerby walks in front of a stock indicator at the window of a security company in Tokyo on March 31, 2017. Tokyo stocks opened higher on March 31 as exporters and banks rose on a weaker yen and solid US growth data. / AFP PHOTO / Toshifumi KITAMURA
A passerby walks in front of a stock indicator at the window of a security company in Tokyo on March 31, 2017.
Tokyo stocks opened higher on March 31 as exporters and banks rose on a weaker yen and solid US growth data. / AFP PHOTO / 

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Tokyo stocks rose Friday morning as automakers and banks rose on the back of a drop in the yen, with solid US growth data boosting market sentiment.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index gained 0.66 percent, or 125.61 points, to sit at 19,188.83 by the lunch break, while the Topix index of all first-section issues was up 0.70 percent, or 10.68 points, to end the morning at 1,538.27.

© Agence France-Presse