Tokyo stocks open higher on bargain-hunting

Tokyo stocks opened higher Tuesday as investors bought battered shares that fell sharply the previous day. In the first 15 minutes of trading, the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average rose 218.10 points, or 0.83 percent, from Monday to 26,649.65. The broader Topix index was up 13.98 points, or 0.75 percent, at 1,878.26. On the top-tier Prime Market, gainers were led by chemical, marine transportation, and transportation equipment issues. At 9 a.m., the dollar fetched 144.47-48 yen compared with 144.68-78 yen in New York and 143.82-84 yen in Tokyo at 5 p.m. Monday. The euro was quoted at $0.9619-9620...