The Nikkei index surged Friday morning, briefly gaining over 2 percent, as the market was supported by some upbeat earnings from Japanese companies as well as bargain-hunting after the benchmark fell to its lowest level in two months a day earlier. At 10 a.m., the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average was up 484.78 points, or 1.88 percent, from Thursday at 26,233.50, climbing to around 26,280 shortly afterward. The broader Topix index was up 21.56 points, or 1.18 percent, at 1,850.74.
