Tokyo stocks open higher on bargain-hunting

Tokyo stocks opened higher Friday as investors hunted for bargains following steep losses the previous day.

In the first 15 minutes of trading, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average rose 172.85 points, or 0.56 percent, from Thursday to 30,774.63. The broader Topix index was up 13.93 points, or 0.63 percent, at 2,238.18.

On the top-tier Prime Market, gainers were led by nonferrous metal, metal product, and iron and steel issues.

At 9 a.m., the U.S. dollar fetched 150.35-38 yen compared with 150.37-47 yen in New York and 150.46-48 yen in Tokyo at 5 p.m. Thursday.

The euro was quoted at $1.0563-0564...