Tokyo stocks open higher tracking Wall St. as bank crisis fears abate

Tokyo stocks opened higher Wednesday, supported by overnight gains on Wall Street amid receding concerns about the U.S. financial system following the collapse of two U.S. banks.

In the first 15 minutes of trading, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average rose 84.22 points, or 0.31 percent, from Tuesday to 27,306.26. The broader Topix index was up 15.28 points, or 0.78 percent, at 1,962.82.

Gainers were led by bank, insurance and consumer credit shares.

At 9 a.m., the U.S. dollar fetched 134.42-45 yen compared with 134.18-28 yen in New York and 133.54-56 yen in Tokyo at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

The euro was ...