Tokyo: Stocks open 0.56% higher

[TOKYO] Tokyo stocks opened 0.56 per cent higher on Thursday after two days of losses, shrugging off poor US data that spawned concerns about the health of the world's largest economy.

The Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange added 107.09 points to 19,141.93 at the start.

In New York on Wednesday the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.44 percent after disappointing US data stoked concerns about economic growth.

Data showed US construction spending dipped in February, while growth in the manufacturing sector slowed for the fifth straight month in March.

A report from payrolls firm ADP showing a slump in business hiring in March cast a shadow over markets ahead of Friday's highly anticipated government labour report for the same month.

The dollar stayed pressured early Thursday, buying 119.56 yen against 119.76 yen in New York late Wednesday.

The euro fetched US$1.0768 and 128.75 yen, compared with US$1.0760 and 128.86 yen in US trade.

AFP