Japan Stocks Nudge Higher After U.S. Gains

Japan stocks inched up Monday morning, heading for a fourth straight day of gains, after the U.S. markets ended higher at the end of last week. The Nikkei Average nudged higher by 0.1%, with the broader Topix up 0.2%. The yen , meanwhile, strengthened against the dollar at �119.41, compared with �119.52 in the previous session. Energy shares advanced, following a rally in oil prices Friday last week. Inpex Corporation jumped 3.4%, and Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd. climbed 2.7%. Financials also gained, with Dai-Inchi Life Insurance Company, Ltd. rising 1.4%, and Nomura Holdings, Inc. up 0.6%. The tech sector traded mixed, as Olympus Corp. tacked on 1.8%, SoftBank Corp. moved up 1.5%, while Fanuc Corporation declined 1.2%, and Nikon Corp. fell 0.7%. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 traded 1.1% higher.