Tokyo: Nikkei closes at 15-yr high on GDP surprise, led by real estate firms

[TOKYO] Japanese stocks closed at a 15-year peak on Wednesday, helped by data showing a surprisingly rapid pace of domestic economic growth in the January-March quarter.

The Nikkei share average rose 0.9 per cent to 20,196.56, its highest close since April 2000, while the broader Topix rose 0.6 per cent to 1,643.40, its best since October 2007.

The Japanese economy grew an annualised 2.4 per cent in the January-March quarter - the fastest in a year and above the 1.5 per cent rise forecast by analysts - and outpacing growth in the United States and the euro zone during the same period.

REUTERS