Nikkei Ends Above 23000 for 1st Time Since 1992

0626 GMT - Fueled by optimism of a robust-looking global economy and catching up to the start-of-year stock gains around the word, Japanese stocks spiked to begin 2018. The Nikkei notched its biggest gain in 14 months at 3.3% while the index finished above 23000 for the first time since January 1992 at 23506.33. “The gains are from the fundamentals in [the domestic] economy getting better,” says Kyoya Okazawa at BNP Paribas. Leaders in Japan on Thursday included tech after gains to start the week for the Nasdaq, which has set consecutive record closing highs. Industrial-robot maker Fanuc, chip firm Tokyo Electron and messaging app Line all jumped some 6%. (suryatapa.bhattacharya@wsj.com; @SuryatapaB)