Nikkei surges over 2% in morning on upbeat earnings, bargain-hunting

Tokyo stocks soared Friday morning, lifting the Nikkei index over 2 percent, on some upbeat domestic earnings as well as bargain-hunting a day after the benchmark tumbled to its lowest level in two months. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average rose 673.12 points, or 2.61 percent, from Thursday to 26,421.84. The broader Topix index was up 35.43 points, or 1.94 percent, at 1,864.61. On the top-tier Prime Market, gainers were led by precision instrument, electric appliance, and information and communication issues.